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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 01-26-04Approved Members Present: Mark Jacobs, Eric Johnson, Steve Wilson, Phil Sterner Members Absent: Mike Eliason Staff Present: Dan Schultz, Director of Parks and Recreation and Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary Student Volunteer: Philip Harris Others Present: None CALL TO ORDER: Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: Old Business – 6. a. Updated Athletic Complex Draft Concept Plan and New Business – 7. c. Use of Motorized Vehicles on Sidewalks and Trails. APPROVAL OF THE JANUARY 26, 2004 AGENDA: MOTION by Johnson to approve the January 26, 2004 agenda. SECOND by Sterner. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 3. APPROVAL OF THE DECEMBER 22, 2003 MINUTES: MOTION by Sterner to approve the minutes of December 22, 2003. SECOND by Wilson. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 4. AUDIENCE INPUT: None 5. DISCUSSION (Response to Audience Input): None 6. OLD BUSINESS: a. Athletic Complex Site Plan – Schultz had asked the developer to redraw the concept plan for the athletic complex. Schultz reviewed the updated plan, which includes ample parking, a small maintenance building, concessions/restrooms, six soccer fields, softball, baseball, and little league fields, tennis courts, etc. Schultz asked the Commission to keep in mind that they had discussed the facilities they wanted, and all of these aren’t included in the plan. Schultz is having landscape architects look at the plan to see how much land we’ll need to include all of the facilities we want. There was discussion on the placement of several of the facilities in the updated plan. Schultz and the Commission felt that the soccer fields and tennis courts were not laid out well. Schultz will check on placing the soccer fields and other similar facilities together. Sterner asked if there would be lights for the tennis courts. Schultz thought they would be lit. Jacobs asked if anything was missing from the plan. Schultz suggested including a football field, and the Commission thought a sun shelter should also be included. Other changes were discussed such as opening up the ball fields more, relocating the concession buildings and playground, and fencing issues. Johnson felt that we were including a lot of facilities in this park, and we should prioritize what we actually want. There was a question regarding what would be done with Erickson Park, possibly renovating it to a youth/traveling softball complex. Schultz will have Ingraham and Assoc. put together plans for the Commission to review. Per Schultz, this is a preliminary plan to get discussion going regarding what we need in the park and that knowing the size of the property would help us to decide what to include. It was the consensus of the Commission that they would like to see another drawing. Wilson asked that the plan include everything we want. Johnson thought that we should include everything that had been discussed in the design, bring it to the City Council, and cut down the amenities as needed, prioritizing the active and passive items separately. Schultz will have a plan drawn up and try to schedule a work session before the next Commission meeting. There was discussion regarding the status of the task force and getting input from them. Johnson asked to have an alternate interviewer in case he’s unavailable for the interview. Wilson volunteered to be an alternate interviewer. b. Wiklund Property Preservation – Schultz stated that one of the City Council’s goals for 2003-04 was to work on preserving open space in Rosemount. Schultz reviewed a map of a 25-acre parcel of land owned by Aina Wiklund. Ms. Wiklund and her attorney have approached the City regarding preserving her land. She has entered her parcel in the Dakota County Farmland and Natural Areas Program and the DNR Metro Greenway Program. Ms. Wiklund is considering splitting the parcel into a 6-acre parcel that would provide her with a life-estate and then be donated to an environmentally focused non-profit organization or possibly the City, and a 19-acre parcel that would be acquired by the City. There would be a conservation easement over the entire 25-acres. There is an issue regarding the Wiklund property and it’s lack of frontage along Bacardi Avenue. Staff reviewed a map of this area and explained that Earl Bester owns the parcel of land between the Wiklund property and Bacardi Avenue. Schultz has spoken to Mr. Bester and found that in the past, in similar situations with nearby landowners, Mr. Bester had sold the small piece of land to the landowner without the frontage. Schultz stated that the City hopes to decide on this issue in the spring of 2004. The goal is to use the grant money to purchase the parcel. Jacobs asked if there was any reason the City would say no to this, and whether there is a cap on the amount of funding available. Per Schultz there are no rules right now, and no cap has been set. We are waiting to find out the purchase price and should have this the beginning of February. Johnson questioned the guidelines used for Open Space funds, and what the program plans to accomplish. The Commission continued to discuss the open space program, and had questions regarding how land is chosen, etc. Schultz will contact the county program manager to get a summary of the objectives and forward it to the Commission NEW BUSINESS a. Family Resource Center Annual Report – Staff reviewed the 2003 Community Action Council (CAC) Report. This item is placed on the Parks and Recreation Commission agenda on a yearly basis as a requirement of the Youth Initiative Grant from the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning. This grant, along with other grants and donations, allowed for the construction of the Family Resource Center in Rosemount. It is Staff’s opinion that the Family Resource Center is meeting the requirements of the grant and that the CAC is fulfilling its obligation as outlined in their lease. b. Director’s Report – The Park Improvement Fund balance as of December 31, 2003 was $260,624.08. Inflows into the fund last month were as follows: Dedication Fees - $7,200.00; Interest - $208.48. There were no donations and no expenditures. Staff informed the Commission that winter program participation has been very strong. The “It’s Snow Fun - Winter Family Fun Fest”, a community wide event, will be held on Saturday, February 7, at Jaycee Park. The taskforce update should be completed next week. There will be an open house regarding the Pedestrian Improvement Project on January 29, 2004. Property owners directly affected by the improvements were notified and asked for their input. This project is proposed to be funded by the City. Staff will put together a plan after the public meeting and bring information to the Commission based on the input received. Leprechaun Days – The City is currently reviewing Leprechaun Days operations, how the committee is set up, who’s on the committee, etc. The City may consider working with a group of volunteers to run this event. Staff explained briefly how the committee is currently run. Staff will discuss further the developments regarding the Leprechaun Days Committee structure at the next meeting. Brockway Development – The PUD was approved as a concept. The developer will be coming back with a concept plan and we should look at this at the next meeting. Dome - The traffic study has been done and should be brought to the Planning Commission meeting in February for review. The National Guard property issue is still being looked into. c. Motorized Vehicles on Trails and Sidewalks – Schultz has received a couple of inquiries regarding the use of motorized scooters on sidewalks and trails and has spoken to the police chief regarding this. According to city code, motorized vehicles are not allowed on sidewalks and trails. Schultz doesn’t see the City amending the code for this. Schultz could get additional information from the police chief and bring this item back for further discussion.   8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Johnson to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by Sterner. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary