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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 08-22-05APPROVED Members Present: Eric Johnson, Mark Jacobs, Kelly Sampo Members Absent: Leslie Defries, Mike Eliason Staff Present: Dan Schultz, Director of Parks and Recreation and Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary Student Volunteer: None Others Present: Michael Ryan, 14782 Colorado Ave., Rosemount, MN 1. CALL TO ORDER: Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: New Business b. Sun Shelter at Camfield Park 3. APPROVAL OF THE JULY 25, 2005 MEETING MINUTES: MOTION by Sampo to approve the minutes of July 25, 2005. SECOND by Jacobs. Ayes: 3 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 4. AUDIENCE INPUT: None. 5. DISCUSSION (Response to Audience Input): None. 6. OLD BUSINESS: Extreme Sports Recreational Facilities – At the July 25 meeting, Schultz informed the commission that Michael Ryan had requested that the City consider allowing BMX dirt bike riders to use the old off-leash dog park area to build jumps. Per Schultz, the risk management representative is looking into this to see if any liability would be involved. Michael Ryan was in attendance to provide additional information on what the bikers are looking for. Mr. Ryan informed the Commission that he had spoken with Paul Olson from the City of Eagan regarding their facility. Eagan has a BMX dirt bike area next to their skate park with jumps that are a maximum of four feet high. No plywood ramps are allowed, helmets are not required, and signs are posted that say “Use at your Own Risk”. Mr. Ryan thought that his group would build three-foot high jumps, and they would probably start with one or two jumps depending on the area available. He estimated that approximately 40 people from Rosemount and surrounding communities would use the site. Mr. Ryan clarified that the bikers would only be looking at jumps, not a track. Schultz was looking for support from the Commission on this item. We can then start to move forward if there are no liability issues found by the City Attorney and the City’s risk management representative. The Commission asked Schultz to contact Paul Olson from the City of Eagan to get more information on their facility and bring this back to the next meeting. MOTION by Jacobs that the City work with local BMX bikers to build a dirt bike riding area with a series of jumps in the park land east of the Schwarz Pond Park skate park. SECOND by Sampo. Ayes: 3 Nays: 0 Motion passed. b. Pedestrian Facility Improvement Plan – Engineering staff put together a Pedestrian Facilities Improvement Plan timeline prioritizing where trails and sidewalks should be added, sections that are in need of repair, and connections for gaps in existing sidewalks and trails. Schultz reviewed a map that coincided with this list and explained some of the factors used in setting priorities. Schultz was asking for input from the Commission on whether they agreed with the priorities in the timeline. The Commission discussed various segments of trails and sidewalks to be added and repaired. Sampo pointed out a missing connection near Winds Park that was not included on the map and also a sidewalk connection from Carrousel Way to Chippendale that is shown on the map but doesn’t exist. Jacobs asked whether parks dedication funds could be used for the improvements, with the City then paying the parks dedication fund back. The Commission discussed using park improvement funds in some capacity or applying for grants to help speed up the completion of all of the sidewalk and trail improvements. Schultz informed the Commission that grants are available through the DNR for trail connections such as those we’re looking at. The Commission also discussed the issue of residents who may not want a sidewalk or trail on their property because of maintenance issues, loss of privacy, or having landscaping disturbed. The Commission supported moving forward with the prioritized list for sidewalk and trail improvements that was provided. They asked Schultz to check with the City Attorney regarding the use of park improvement funds for this project, and also to find out the availability of grants for trail connections. Schultz will take the Commission’s comments to the Engineering Department and give copies of the minutes to the City Council so they are aware that the Parks and Recreation Commission is interested in helping the City move forward with this project and complete the improvements as quickly as possible. No motion was needed on this item. c. Rosemount River Corridor Trail Plan – Schultz provided the Commission with an Interpretive Corridor Trail Implementation Timeline and reviewed the Rosemount Interpretive Corridor Study map of the proposed trail alignment. Staff have been meeting with landowners for the past several months to identify a corridor from downtown Rosemount to the Mississippi River and Spring Lake Park. The proposed alignment could change, but we are working to put together a concept plan so we have something in place as development occurs. Schultz also included descriptions of proposed interpretive/educational stops that would occur along the trail. No motion was needed on this item. Schultz was looking for feedback from the Commission on whether they thought the trail alignment and interpretive stops were on track. The Commission felt that the project was on track. Schultz will bring this item back in its final format to the September meeting for a motion. d. Athletic Complex – Schultz wanted to revisit this item and discuss the facilities the Commission felt should be included in an athletic complex. Schultz provided a Proposed Facilities List including baseball, softball, football and soccer fields, as well as outdoor hockey rinks and tennis courts, and answered questions regarding the facilities. The facilities list was based on information from discussion in 2003 on what was needed at that time for an athletic complex above and beyond the facilities that would be provided by city parks to meet the parks master plan guidelines for 2020. Sampo requested that lighted tennis courts be considered for the athletic complex. The Commission asked how much acreage would be needed to include everything, including fields, tennis courts, restrooms, concessions, etc. It was also asked whether it would be better to break down facilities and possibly have tennis courts and an aquatic center as one facility, and ball fields as another facility. Per Schultz, 69 acres is the rough estimate to include everything in the sports complex. The Commission wondered if the numbers from 2003 were still accurate or if they should be updated. Schultz said he would like to review the numbers from 2003 and update them as needed. Usage and traffic issues were also discussed. Per Schultz, the size and number of events at the athletic complex would be considered in the design of the complex so that traffic would not be a problem. It was decided that a work session should be scheduled to discuss this item further. September 12 was chosen as the work session date. Staff will send an e-mail to all of the Parks and Recreation Commissioners to confirm this date. 7. NEW BUSINESS: a. Director’s Report - The Parks Improvement Fund Balance as of July 31, 2005 was $1,121,203.96 No dedication fees, grants or donations were received in July. Interest was $2,530.77. Expenditures were $6,408.15. We have not yet received the parks dedication funds from CDPC for the Harmony Development. Schultz called CDPC and has not heard back from them. Sampo asked if they could be charged interest. Per Schultz, we could look into including this in future agreements. The park in this development should be completed next summer. Rosemount Community Center Parking - Staff does not have an update on this item. We are currently looking into the legalities of enforcing the parking restrictions. b. Camfield Sun Shelter – Schultz included a chart in the Commission packet listing the bids we received for replacing the sun shelter at Camfield Park. The low bidder appears to be Weber Recreational Design, Inc., but because Weber’s bid was less than half of the next lowest bid, Tom Schuster, Parks Supervisor, has contacted them to verify all of the numbers in their bid. Per Johnson, there seemed to be a lot of discrepancies among the bidders as far as the size of the structures and post dimensions. Schultz explained that some of the companies making proposals could not supply an 18’ x 32’ size structure, so they submitted a bid for the closest size they could supply. Also, we did not specify post sizes in our bid. The biggest variation in price was for installation and concrete work. Schultz was recommending approving the proposal submitted by Weber Recreation Design, Inc. if they meet all of the requirements of the City, or it would go to the next lowest bidder, MN/WI Playground Equipment. MOTION by Sampo to recommend the approval of the proposal submitted by Weber Recreation Design, Inc. for the sun shelter at Camfield Park, provided they meet the requirements of the City, or it would go to the next lowest bidder, MN/WI Playground. SECOND by Jacobs. Ayes: 3 Nays: 0 Motion passed. MOTION by Sampo that the colors of the Sun Shelter at Camfield Park be natural/neutral colors - dark brown posts and tan shingles. SECOND by Jacobs. Ayes: 3 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Jacobs to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by Sampo. Ayes: 3 Nays: 0 Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 9:51 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary