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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008 07-28 PARKS � RECREATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting Minutes July 28, 2008 APPROVED Members Present: Maureen Bartz,Jason Eisold,Mike Eliason,Sandy Knight Members Absent: Kevin Strayton Staff Present: Dan Schultz,Director of Parks and Recreation and Sonja Honl,Recording Secretary Student Volunteer: jonathan Nutzmann Others Present: None 1. CALL TO ORDER: Eliason called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None. Schultz did have updates to address under the Director's Report. 3. APPROVAL OF THE MAY 19, 2008 MEETING MINUTES: MOTION by Bartz to approve the minutes of the May 19,2008 meeting. SECOND by Eisold. Ayes:4 Nays:0 Motion passed. 4. AUDIENCE INPUT: None. 5. DISCUSSION (Response to Audience Input): None. 6. OLD BUSINESS: a. Veteran's Memorial Walk—T'he Rosemount Veterans Memorial Walk group (RVMV�,recendy submitted a new plan which Schultz showed to the Commissioners. This item has already been discussed at several meetings. In past discussions with the RVM�Y1,staff has continually stressed that before the ciry gives its support to the project,the group needs to have a plan in place for the final project. They are now proposing pla,cing pavers along a segment at the beginning of the Koch Trail,and not looping around the trail. The plan includes stations along the way with monuments for specific conflicts. They would also like a sign,a statue of a minuteman,and flags at the beginning of the trail. The RVMW group members have not been in total agreement on what they envision for the final project. Some thought locating the pavers near the current monuxnent would be fine,others preferred the Koch Trail location. Staff will be meeting with members of the veterans group following the meeting for further discussion and clarification about the project. Schultz has asked the members of RVMW to meet with a professional planner and come up with a final plan that they all agree on. Schultz asked for the Commission's comments on this project. Comments were: The use of a minuteman statue was questioned as this is not a part of Minnesota,'s history. How snow removal would be handled and the possibility of pavers being damaged was also brought up. Per Schultz,we cannot guarantee that we will always be able to keep them clear of snow. This is also a portion of the Koch Trail that is driven on with mowers,heavy equipment,etc.,and this should be addressed in the project design. The Commission again mentioned that this location may not be the best spot for pavers,based on the snow removal, maintenance,vehicle use,etc.T1us location is also disconnected from the existing monument.We also need to consider who would pay for repair/replacement of pavers if they are damaged during snow removal or from being driven on. If pavers are placed near the current monument,there is less risk of damage. The Commissioners felt that it would be beneficial for the RVMW group to have a landscape architect look at both locations (near the current monument and along the trail) to help them determine the best location for the pavers based on the Commission's concerns. Students from the Dakota County Technical College design program would be an excellent resource for this. Schultz also provided a map of the location where storm water ponding improvements will be taking place near the beginning of the Koch Trail this fall. A memo regarding this project was included in this month's packet. Eliason wanted to be sure that the water would not overflow from the pond,leaving trails under water for several weeks. Schultz asked for any additional items he should address with the RVMW group. The Commission had the following comments: They have no funds for monuments at this time and they have only sold 55 - 1 - PARKS 8� RECREATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting Minutes July 28, 2008 pavers so far,construction of the storm water pond this fall will delay installation along the trail,and there will be trucks and other equipment driving on them if they are installed along the trail. If the RVMW wants the pavers installed quickly,placing them near the existing monutnent may be the best option. Schultz will ask the RVMW for a timeline for the project,including how many pavers they expect to sell. We would like them to bring the City a complete package,with a final plan that includes all phases of egpansion,and timelines for five to ten years for sales and installation. MOTION by Knight to recommend that the Rosemount Veterans Memorial group bring back an updated concept plan, project narrative and timeline. SECOND by Eliason. Eisold asked that a specific location for installation,including room for future expansion,be included in their plan. Schultz will make sure the RVMW group is aware that if they have any plans to extend/expand the project in the future, accommodations for this need to be included in the plan they submit. Ayes:4 Nays:0 Motion passed. b. TObeCCO FI'ee P11'k3—Copies of policies from nearby cities were included in the Commission packet,along with a draft poliry for the City of Rosemount. T'he intent of the students who brought this item to the Commission is to make our parks healthier for everyone who uses them. Schultz stated that like other cities'policies,ours doesn't have enforcement ability,but is "self-policing". By making people aware of the poliry though information in our city brochures,the newspaper and signage regarding the policy at parks,we expect that a majority of people will comply. If the Commission is in favor of the draft poliry,Schultz will send it on to the City Council for review. The Comtnission wanted to confirm that funding for signage is available through Dakota Counry. Patrick Stieg,Dakota County Public Health,was in the audience and stated that there was funding available. MOTION by Eisold to recommend sending the proposed Tobacco Free Parks Poliry to the City Council for review and discussion. SECOND by Bartz. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. C. B�OCkWBy Pa�k—Schultz provided an updated concept plan that included the changes that were recommended by the Commission. Schultz informed the Commission that the streets will be going in this fall. They are still working out a few details for the park,such as the placement of the horseshoe pits. The Commission felt that the horseshoe pits should be located as close as possible to the picnic shelter and kept away from the playground area. There was a question about parking issues during double headers. Per Schultz,there will be parking on the ball field side of the street near the park. There was a question regarding the maintenance of shrubs and flower beds. The Commission wanted to make sure that we can properly maintain what we install or else consider including less in the original plan. Eisold wanted to be sure that a water fountain was included,as well as enclosures for portable toilets. There was discussion regarding irrigation. Eliason felt that it was important that the fields be++�+�a ted so that they are kept in good shape. These fields will be used a lot,especially if there is no athletic complex. Schultz egplained that we are working with the park planners to come up with a`green'parks design without irrigating. He had not received any information on this yet. Nutzmann agreed that'+�+�+�tion should be included up front. Bartz suggested irrigating a limited area of the ball Celds. Per Schultz,we could put irriga.tion in specific locations around fields;but the current trend is not to irrigate,assuming there will soon be additional athletic fields available. Schultz will bring back specifications and more inforn�ation on irrigation,etc.,but was looking for approval of the general layout of the park at this time. MOTION by Bartz to approve the upda,ted Brockway Park design. SECOND by Knight. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. Schultz then gave an update on tennis courts. Staff recendy met with District 196 representa,tives asking if they would consider deeding the Charlies Park property to the City so we could add courts there. The district representatives asked if the City would consider swapping the site of the former daycare center on the corner of Hwy. 3 and 143fd St. for the land at Charlie's Park. Schultz explained that the City had to pay for the.7 acres where the fortner daycare was located,as well as for the cost to move the daycare building,so there were significant costs involved with the acquisition of this property. The district was concerned about losing green space that is used by students,as schools are required to have a ce�ain amount of open space. Staff will discuss this further with the school district. Knight suggested that sun shelter benches could be added. The Commission asked about the planned use of the former daycare site. Per Schultz,it was planned that a turning lane would be added at this location to improve -2 - PARKS � RECREATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting Minutes July 28, 2008 access/traffic flow. I{night suggested egtending bike access around the corner to the middle school,too. Per Schultz,staff will discuss these issues with the school district and the possibility of partnering with them to pay for the improvements. He will bring this item back negt month. 7. NEW BUSINESS: a. F811111y ReSOu�Ce Ce11teP—Schultz explained that there is a space between the playground and the Family Resource Center building that is causing some concern. It is difficult to maintain the area around the entrance due to heavy foot traffic. They have tried using mulch,landscaping and grass in this area,to correct the problem but nothing has worked. Staff has discussed fastening a picnic table to a concrete slab as a possible solution. A handicap-access or covered picnic table was also discussed. The Commission asked if there would be room for two tables. Per Schultz,possibly,if one was removable so there would be room for snow storage in winter. b. DI�eCtO�'S RepOr't-The park improvement fiznd balance as of June 30,2008 was$1,842,063.18. We received$120,000 of dedication fees for the Stonebridge development. No grants or donations were received in June. Interest was $2,050.88. There were eapenditures of$453,551.83. The majority of this was for the DCTC soccer complex,and the remainder was for Brockway Park design services. 2009 Budget—We are in the process of planning for the 2009 budget. There was discussion with Jeanne Ewen,RHS Boys Tennis Coach,was in the audience regarding adding additional tennis courts in Rosemount. T'here was discussion regarding funding new courts with grants from the USTA. Per Schultz,these are usually matching grants. Staff had discussed this issue with the district, and they were in favor of it if the city installs and pays for the additional courts. Lighting the high school courts,as well as use of courts by the district and the public are some of the issues that need to be addressed. Per Schultz we will discuss this further when the parks master plan is brought back. Eisold asked that we also look at phasing in funds for the athletic complex. DCTC Soccer Complex-Work is continuing at the soccer compleg site. The irrigation system is in,and the final grading and seeding will be completed in a few weeks. We will be looking at the financials to see where we are,and discuss additional items if there are funds available. Charlies Park Tennis Courts—We hope to have more information regarding this next month. Brazil Avenue Trail—The new trail connection is complete and open. Additional Items— Schultz handed out a plat for the Fairview Medical Clinic going in behind Applebee's. We will be collecting parks dedication in the form of cash for this development. Fairview is planning to build one building now and add another in the future. Schultz provided the Commission with a plat of the Arcon Development located at Akron Avenue and County Road 42. They have platted 131ots;three are receiving land dedication and the rest will be cash dedication. Manley homes will be the builder. Bartz asked whether city funds were being used for fencing at the DCTC soccer compleg. Schultz will check on this and bring back his findings to the next meeting. 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Bartz to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by Eisold. Ayes:4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary - 3 -