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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008 05-19 � PARKS � RECREATION COMMISSION � Special Meeting Minutes May 19, 2008 APPROVED Members Present: Maureen Bartz,Jason Eisold,Mike Eliason,Sandy Krught,Kevin Strayton Members Absent: None 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 7:00 p.m. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: Schultz had an updated Dakota County Technicat College license agreement,postcards for the Commissioners regarding some plantings going on in the community,and an update on LTMORE Park. 3. APPROVAL OF THE APRIL 28, 2008 MEETING MINUTES: MOTION by Bartz to approve the minutes of the Apri128,2008 meeting. SECOND by Eisold. Schultz mentioned that more information on the tobacco free parks poliry discussed at last month's meeting will be brought back to the June meeting. Most communities have not passed ordinances,but have policies regarding tobacco. Ayes: 5 Nays:0 Motion passed. 4. AUDIENCE INPUT: None. 5. DISCUSSION (Response to Audience Input): None. 6. OLD BUSINESS: a. Dakota County Technical College Soccer Fields Partnership— Schultz received an updated version of the license agreement. It is a 20 year agreement for the use of the three soccer fields being built at DCTC. The City's public works staff will maintain the fields and a facility coordinator for the City will schedule field use. DCTC will provide fields and use of the site,they'll have a soccer facility director,and they will be responsible for any utilities. The Commission asked about quotes and whether there xnight be funds remaining if we get lower than egpected bids. Per Schultz,if funds remain after the fields are built,we could discuss the possibility of using them for other priority items such as lights. Parking was discussed and per Schultz,there is plenty of parking and there are no parking restrictions. DCTC is currently planning to offer men's baseball,women's softball,and men's and women's soccer. Schultz reviewed the updated license agreement and the changes to item 26. MOTION by Eisold to recommend that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the license agreement for soccer fields at the Dakota.Counry Technical College. SECOND by I�night. Schultz clarified that this was an updated version of the agreement,with language added to item 26. It will be going to the City Council tomorrow for their approval. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Motion passed. b. Parks and Recreation Improvements—Bond Referendum —This item was briefly discussed at last month's meeting,then put on the City Council's May 6 work session agenda for discussion on how to proceed. Most of the City Council members thought we should wait before doing anything with the outdoor recreation complex and let needs dictate when we should pursue this aga.in. There was discussion on whether the recreation complex and art center should have both been included on the same referendum. Schultz recently spoke with a representative from Decision Resources,a firm that conducts surveys for cities and school districts,and he felt that based on the overwhelming number of votes opposing the referendum in all precincts,it was very clear that residents were not interested in an increase in taxes. The City Council has asked staff to do the following. get demographic data from the state to find out who our voters were;send a letter to local community groups to open up dialogue on - 1 - PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION Special Meeting Minutes - May 19, 2008 facilities before moving forward with any future referendums;and work with the bond council on the referendum wording which may have confused voters. They also discussed possibly conducting a survey, and what it would cost. The City Council wanted to know why the residents did not vote in favor of the referendum. Including St.Joseph's Church on the November ballot was also suggested. Per Schultz,the representative from Decision Resources felt that it was too soon to put either item back on the ballot. Schultz informed the Commission that the old St.Joseph's Church and school buildings may likelp be vacant a year from this July. St.Joseph's Church has received permission from the archdiocese to proceed with the design and development plans for the new school site,and they hope to break ground this fall. As far as public use of the church once it is vacated,there are code issues and also the Human Rights Act of MN which states that we cannot restrict people's rights to access and have use of facilities. T'he Commissioners thought that there were probably a number of reasons why the referendum failed, the current economy being a key item,and that the timing was just wrong. They thought we needed to maximi�e the use of the resources we have so we don't have to turn kids away from programs and we also need to make sure that the fields we have are not abused. Options included lighting the three soccer fields at DCTC,replacing the soccer field at Erickson Park with another ball field,lighting the remaining fields at Erickson Park,looking at cutting down on the adult leagues at Erickson Park,scheduling RAAA games on Saturdays and Sundays,getting an estimate on the cost of lighting Shannon Park fields and adding lighting and fencing to the ball field at Bloomfield Park. Staff will be discussing options with user groups. The Commissioners stated that participation in sports programs is growing every year. It was asked whether the company doing the in-kind grading at the DCTC soccer fields might be approached about doing something similar at the outdoor recreation site. Per Schultz,the City Council was not in favor of making any decisions on moving forward with the outdoor recreation complex site at this time because the Parks and Recreation Commission hadn't had time to discuss this yet and staff hadn't talked with RAAA yet. The Council had directed staff to look at leasing the property short term to a local farmer. Schultz agreed that we need to look at how we use the fields we have and the most cost effective improvements we can make to max;mi7e their use for the next three to five years. Over the next month,he will be working on recommendations for the City Council, taking into account the expected growth in all programs. The Commission asked if City staff could get estimates on fencing at Bloomfield Park,lighting the remaining fields at Erickson Park,what size of baseball or softball field we could fit in where the soccer field is at Erickson Park,the cost for lighting that field,and the cost of lighting all or half of the fields at Shannon Park. 7. NEW BUSINESS: a. Harmony 5�' Addition Preliminary Plat— Schultz reviewed a map of the area and pointed out where the road to the park will be built. The developer is planning to construct the road this summer. Schultz explained that there have been changes to the type and number of housing units (100 fewer units) on either side of the park. Pickens Property—This property was recendy acquired by the developer. Nine single-family units will be added to the preliminary plat Brockway Park Design Revisions—Schultz was recommending removing the tennis courts to allow for more green space,and sizing the playground closer to what we have at Meadows Park. Other options for tennis court locations include adding two courts to Charlies Park or Erickson Park. The Charlies Park option vcrill be discussed with the school as a possible partnership opportunity,as they own the land here. Grants are available from the USTA for this type of project. The Commission thought Charlies Park was an egcellent location for the additional courts. They all agreed that Erickson Park was not a good option for tennis courts.They did not want to lose the green space at this location. - 2 - � PARKS 8� RECREATION COMMISSION � Special Meeting Minutes May 19, 2008 Discussion regarding other amenities at the park included eliminating the shuffle board courts,bocce ball courts and horseshoe pits,and changing the size of the basketball court. T'he Commission felt that the shuffle board courts should be eliminated,the horseshoe pits could be left in and placed near the shelter, that bocce ball could be played anywhere,and that we should keep the full basketball court and look at making it a multi-purpose court with a wall similar to the one in Apple Valley. They also asked that there be fewer asphalt trails so that there is more green space. Getting the amenities at this park built while keeping spending to a minimum was also stressed. Schultz will bring back a new Brockway Park plan and a plan including additional tennis courts at Charlie's Park. MOTION by Strayton to recommend that the City Council approve the Harmony 5�Addition Preliminary Plat. SECOND by Bartz. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Motion passed. MOTION by Bartz to recommend that the City Council approve the Pickens preliminary plat. SECOND by I�night. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Motion passed. There was no motion to approve the revised Park Plan A. A new plan will be brought back to the Commission for review. MOTION by Knight to have staff work with ISD 196 to secure an agreement to build two new tennis courts at Charlies Park and to investigate grant opportunities with the USTA. SECOND by Bartz. Ayes: 5 Nays:0 Motion passed. Schultz mentioned that he has suggested that District 196 consider deeding the Charlies Park propertq to the City and having a joint use agreement with them.Schultz will bring back more on this. b. Election of Commission Chair and Vice Chair—The Commission had tabled this item at the April meeting so that all of the Commissioners could be present for the election. The current Chair is Mike Eliason and the Vice Chair is Jason Eisold. MOTION by Strayton that Elia,son continue as Chair and Eisold continue as Vice Chair. SECOND by Knight. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Motion passed C. D'IPeCto�'S RepOrt- The park improvement fund balance as of Apri130,2008 was$2,151,324.92. No parks dedication fees,grants or donations were received in April. Interest was $1,529.08. There were expenditures of$1,865.92 for professional services for Brockway Park and the outdoor recreation complex. UMORE Presentarion-The Commissioners have been invited to a concept plan meeting about the UMORE property. The meeting is scheduled for June 18 at 630 p.m. at City Hall. Spring Events-The annual Arbor Day event was held the first weekend in May. The City Wide Garage Sale was held on May 15, 16,and 17. The Spring Clean Up Day was held on May 17,and we had the highest turnout yet. 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Eisold to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by Strayton. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:42 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary - 3 -