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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 07-28-03APPROVED Members Present: Mike Eliason, Mark Jacobs, Eric Johnson, Phil Sterner, Steve Wilson Members Absent: None Staff Present: Dan Schultz, Director of Parks and Recreation and Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary Others Present: None 1. CALL TO ORDER: Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: 7. c. Director’s Report – Dakota County Spring Lake Park Concept Plan. Schultz also wanted to talk in detail about the update on Bloomfield Park and the Sports Dome/LAWCON Grant. Phil asked for an update on Leprechaun Days. APPROVAL OF THE JULY 28, 3003 AGENDA AS MODIFIED: MOTION by Wilson to approve the agenda of the July 28, 2003. SECOND by Eliason. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 3. APPROVAL OF THE JUNE 23, 2003 MINUTES: MOTION by Sterner to approve the minutes of June 23, 2003. SECOND by Eliason. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 4. AUDIENCE INPUT: None 5. DISCUSSION (Response to Audience Input): None 6. OLD BUSINESS: a. Minea/Centex Preliminary Plat – Schultz informed the commission that this item was discussed at a city council work session. The developer has revised the preliminary plat to include the criteria the commission had recommended at the June meeting, including the removal of several lots from the cul de sac in order to preserve the woodlands in that area. Schultz will bring back the final revisions for the park amenities and the budget for the park. The developer did asked for additional park dedication credit for the treed area. Schultz told the developer that we would recommend against giving any park dedication for this area because the city has already given them a number concessions in this development. We will be giving them credit for eight acres of parkland. The treed area will not be considered parkland, but will be owned by the city. The total parks dedication amount we’ll receive will be approximately $337,000 depending on the final plat. The developer will be responsible for re-grading the site and we will pay for the parking lot, soccer field, ball field, trails, etc. Schultz will bring back a full spec on the bridge to the island and the DNR fishing pier, shelter, etc. The park dedication amount we receive should cover the cost of all of the amenities. Sterner distributed an article from the St. Paul Pioneer Press regarding Centex clear cutting a large area of trees in a park that is shared by Inver Grove Heights and South St. Paul. MOTION by Sterner to recommend that the City Council approve the Minea preliminary plat with the following considerations: park dedication credit of up to eight acres of city parkland, that the park amenities can be built in the park as proposed, or using a different design with the same land area, and that cutting of trees be closely monitored. SECOND by Eliason. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Motion passed. NEW BUSINES: a. Cliff Concept Plan (Future Park N-7) – A developer is proposing to build 105 units on 75 acres, plus 10 future lots. Schultz reviewed a map of the concept plan submitted by the developer. The plan shows a one acre out lot left open for a neighborhood park. This doesn’t meet the criteria of the Parks Master Plan which is four to 10 acres. According to the city’s development plan, sewer and water are not proposed for this area until 2020. This development proposal has been denied by the Planning Commission. Schultz had two recommendations regarding this development: The commission can approve the concept plan based on accepting open space with this development and planning for active recreation amenities on the properties to the east or south when they are developed; or the commission can recommend that the council deny the plan approval based on the lack of appropriate parkland needed to meet the active recreation needs of the residents as outlined in the Parks, Trails and Open space Master Plan. Schultz asked the commission if they would like the developer to attend a commission meeting to answer questions regarding this development. The commission thought this would be a good idea. Schultz will talk to the developer and ask him to attend a future commission meeting. There was no motion on this item. b. Park Tour Discussion – Schultz would like to have the commission look at several park sites in the city, including parks that are already established and future park sites. The commission agreed on a park tour date of August 4, 2003, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Possible tour sites would be the McMenomy property, the Minea property, Bloomfield Park, Dallara Park, Schulz Pond Park and the potential athletic complex sites. Director’s Report – Park Improvement Fund Balance – There was no update for June due to the fact that the city has installed a new financial program and the Finance Department was unable to generate this information. Inflows into the Park Improvement Fund last month were as follows: Dedication Fees - $20,497.82; Interest - $981.51; Donations - $0; Expenditures - $23,161.48. Birch Park and Dallara Park improvements are in progress. Player Development Area – Construction will start late this week or next week. Schultz has talked to RAHA regarding donating the funds for this project in the amount of $39,999.00. Target Grant – The Parks & Recreation Office received a grant from Target Stores to be used for our Entertainment in the Park series. Leprechaun Days Update – There was good attendance at all events, and we had an excellent fireworks display. The skate park equipment was removed to open up the rink for the beer garden. The Public Works Department staff has asked Schultz about possibly relocating the skate park to Schwarz Pond Park for the rest of the year. City staff could overlay the small parking lot and move the equipment there. The commission discussed the pros and cons of relocating the skate park. The location is more secluded and that was a concern. There has been an issue with trash at Central Park and the commission wondered if there was a solution to this problem. Schultz suggested moving on to discussion of the LAWCON grant conversion which relates to moving the skate park. DNR Reconsiders Position on LAWCON Conversion – Schultz reviewed a map of the Rosemount Community Center, the proposed site for the sports dome on ISD 196 land next to the Community Center, and the smaller parking lot at Schwarz Pond Park that is being discussed as a potential location for the skate park. Staff from Rosemount High School spoke to DNR officials regarding the LAWCON grant conversion. Apparently the LAWCON grant does have a provision for leasing LAWCON land as long as it’s used for outdoor recreation. DNR officials now consider the dome as actually expanding the usefulness of the land to a full year. The commission again expressed concern regarding parking and water/sewer issues for the sports dome. If the skate park was moved to the small parking lot at Schwarz Pond Park, there would be even fewer parking spaces. Johnson asked if the Parks and Recreation Commission actually had any influence in this matter. Schultz stated that the developer hasn’t received an official recommendation from the DNR yet, and that even if they do get approval for the dome from the National Park Service and the DNR, the developer would have to submit a CUP to the city and that would come back to the Parks and Recreation Commission. The commission can’t do anything until we receive the plans from the developer. Discussion went back to moving the skate park to the smaller parking lot by Schwarz Pond Park. There was concern about the area being too secluded, kids smoking at the skate park, the trash problem, and other issues such as the potential for vandalism. Johnson preferred leaving the skate park at Central Park. Having the skate park staffed with a park and recreation summer employee was suggested, as well as charging a minimal fee of $1 or $2. The commission will discuss this issue after the park tour next week. McMenomy Property – Schultz received the appraisal for the McMenomy property and has called Mike McMenomy to see if the siblings could meet to discuss the appraisal. Schultz has also been working with Ina Wicklund, her attorney, the Friends of the Mississippi, and the DNR regarding 60 acres Ms. Wicklund owns that she would like to see preserved as open space. She may donate the property to the city and have a living estate that would allow her to continue to live on the property. Bloomfield Park – Schultz informed the commission that Centex has over-graded the south edge of the soccer field, giving their townhomes about 30 feet of yard before the slope down to the soccer field begins. Centex is asking us to consider shifting the soccer field 20 feet to the north and proposing to build a retaining wall and three level seating area into the slope of the hill to the north of the field. The city would then be responsible for maintaining the retaining wall and seating area. This maintenance would be considerably more than mowing the existing hill. The commission was not in favor of moving the field or installing a retaining wall/seating area on the north side of the field. After further discussion, it was the consensus of the commission that Centex should fix the grading mistake on the south side of the soccer field, making sure that when they re-grade this area, drainage is addressed so that the field isn’t flooded. Spring Lake Park Master Plan – Schultz distributed information on this project to the commission. Part of this park is located in Inninger Township and part is located in the northwest part of Rosemount. Four concept plans are being looked at and the county has asked that the commission review the plan and forward any comments or suggestions regarding this project to the County Parks Department. Johnson asked for an update on the DCTC Soccer Complex. Schultz stated that this project had been discussed at the council work session. At this time the city doesn’t have the funds for the maintenance the complex would require. DCTC may start with one field, and then add on as they get more partners. Johnson asked about the impact the affordable housing development planned for the Brockway property would have on park dedication. Per Schultz, the type of housing doesn’t affect the park dedication we receive. 8. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION by Sterner to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by Eliason. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary