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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 01-23-06APPROVED Members Present: Leslie Defries, Eric Johnson, Mark Jacobs, Kelly Sampo Members Absent: Mike Eliason 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: Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None. 3. APPROVAL OF THE DECEMBER 2005 MEETING MINUTES: MOTION by Jacobs to approve the minutes of the December 2005 meeting. SECOND by Defries. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 4. AUDIENCE INPUT: None. 5. DISCUSSION (Response to Audience Input): None. 6. OLD BUSINESS: a. City Code Updates – Schultz reviewed additional information he had received regarding the way several cities handle alcohol use in their parks. Schultz was recommending that the Park Regulations be updated to allow beer in all areas of Erickson Park, and for wine and beer to be allowed in all City parks by permit only. He attached a copy of the Parks Regulations which included these changes. Johnson thought that the changes proposed were actually more restrictive than the original wording. The goal of the Commission in looking into this was to allow for more flexibility, so that a resident would be able take a beer to a park across the street from their home and play Frisbee, watch their kids play, etc., or for a neighborhood group to be able to have beer or wine at an organized event in a park. Schultz stated that he had spoken to the City Attorney and Chief of Police, and based on these discussions, the policy had been revised as noted in the attachment. The intent was to have some restrictions for safety reasons. After reviewing the other cities’ policies, the Commissioners initially preferred Elk River’s, which states that “alcohol is permitted, provided that it is for your own/family use, no laws are broken, and that no unruly behavior occurs”. The Commission felt that this addressed what they were looking for in a more flexible ordinance. After more discussion, Jacobs suggested a modified version of Elk River’s policy, while Sampo thought that alcohol consumption should be by permit only in all parks - that alcohol be allowed with a permit for a group event, but prohibited on a daily/individual basis in all parks. MOTION by Jacobs to recommend that the City Attorney re-write the language as follows: a. include the Elk River concept; b. eliminate B.1, the separate designation for Erickson Park; and c. modify the language in B.2. to incorporate adult league play. SECOND by Defries. Ayes: 3 Nays: 1 (Sampo) Motion passed. Schultz will take the Commission’s motion to the City Attorney to make sure the language is as it should be. b. Master Planning for Athletic Complex – Schultz had asked a landscape architect to come up with five athletic complex drawings based on the acreages and facilities the Commission requested. Schultz reviewed each of the options and provided the Commission with a “Need for Additional Athletic Facilities” report which included information regarding how facility needs are determined based on population growth and recreational trends. The report also listed four key factors why additional facilities were needed. The Commission thought that the City Council really needed to focus on acquiring the land for this facility before moving forward with other decisions regarding a facility. They felt that this should be done as soon as possible, that the available property options for the facility should be prioritized, and if needed, a referendum should take place in November 2006. They asked Schultz to add this item to the City Council’s goal setting meeting in February, making sure that everything the Commission has asked for is included. The Commission wanted to stress to the City Council the need to work on finding a location for the athletic complex. Johnson thought that the City should look at this as if acquiring land from Flint Hills Resources, Dakota County Technical College (DCTC), or UMORE will not be an option.. Defries asked for clarification regarding the areas of land that are available. Per Schultz, there were several properties being considered including Flint Hills Resources, DCTC, UMORE, the mining company, the Bester property, and other property. Schultz reviewed the locations of each of these properties on a map of the City. Jacobs thought that in order to move forward with the land purchase, the Commission should develop a list of support documents for the City Council that would include the following: a comparison of facilities in Apple Valley, Burnsville, etc. as far as the facilities available versus the population; the RAAA article from the Town Pages; the item from RAAA listing the top 10 priorities for our community; letters of support to the City Council stating that the City needs these facilities and why they are needed; and similar support letters from RAHA and other affected groups. Finally, regarding the strategy for support, information on the return on investment should be provided to the City Council. All of these support materials would help define things for the City Council. He asked that the City Council approve the athletic complex as one of their goals for 2006. Discussion of available land continued. Schultz suggested looking at property on the east side of Hwy. 52, although sewer and water service could be an issue at this location. Schultz pointed out various sites on a map of the City, including the potential air cargo facility site, the golf course and land that may be available east of Hwy 52. After further discussion, the Commission felt that the 160 acre property immediately east of Hwy. 52 would be a good option due to the visibility from the highway and the fact that Rosemount will be developing in that direction. MOTION by Defries to recommend that the City Council add the development of an athletic complex to their February goal setting session. The Parks and Recreation Commission has identified three potential property sites (but is not limiting potential sites to these) for the athletic complex: 1. the Bester property – 75 acres; 2. Rich Valley Golf Course; and 3. the 160 acre parcel immediately to the east of Hwy. 52 and approximately one-half mile south of Co. Rd. 42. SECOND by Sampo. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. MOTION by Jacobs to move that as part of the support materials related to the athletic complex, the following should be included: 1. the “Need for Additional Athletic Facilities” document as prepared by Schultz; 2. a comparative analysis of the facilities in nearby cities; 3. letters of support from RAAA and other interested associations; 4. the article from the January 20, 2006 Rosemount Town Pages relative to facility needs; 5. any return on investment information we can provide; and 6. information from District 196 regarding their future facility development plans. SECOND by Sampo. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. c. Trail/Sidewalk Plan (Pedestrian Facilities Improvement Plan) – Between the November and December 2005 Commission meetings, Schultz sent the Commissioners updated information on the trail/sidewalk improvement plan. The City Council approved moving forward with nine segments identified on the plan list. A cost estimate should be ready by mid-February. A public meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, February 23, and the affected home/property owners will be invited. An e-mail address has also been set up so that the public may contact the City with any questions or concerns they may have. Schultz will be bringing back updates to the Commission on a regular basis. Jacobs asked if any of the Commission members would recommend moving forward with this project in an accelerated manner, instead of extending it until 2017. Sampo was in favor of accelerating the improvement project with the use of parks dedication funds, as she felt that some of the connections were the responsibility of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Schultz explained that the 2017 completion date has been eliminated from the project list to provide for more flexibility in completing the project. The City Council will be reviewing the list on an annual basis. Schultz stated that approximately $40,000 of parks dedication funds will be used and we are also working with the DNR on pre-approval funding. MOTION by Jacobs to recommend that the funding for the trail/sidewalk improvement plan be included in the 2006 City Council goal setting session in February. SECOND by Defries. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 7. NEW BUSINESS: a. Facilities Options Report – Schultz reviewed a draft list of facility options, the recommendation from the 2004 Facilities Task Force, and the facility options and costs. After discussion, the Commission felt that the top priorities should be a multi-purpose facility that would include a second sheet of ice, basketball and volleyball courts, and a pool. The senior center, teen center and arts/cultural center were not considered as high a priority, and it was suggested that they could possibly be housed at the St. Joseph’s Church site. MOTION by Sampo that regarding the recommendations from the facility options report, the Commission’s priority is a multi-purpose, field house type facility that would include a second sheet of ice with a multi-purpose floor, an aquatic center and gym space for basketball and volleyball. The other three items (senior center, teen center, arts/cultural center) are not a priority of the Commission for this facility but should be included in items that are discussed as part of the St. Joseph’s Church future use plan. SECOND by Defries. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. b. Bloomfield Park Shelter – RFQ’s – Staff sent out RFQ’s for the Bloomfield Park project and received responses from three architectural firms. Schultz was recommending JEA Architects based on the fact that we have worked with them in the past and that their proposed compensation for Basic Professional Services (architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering) would range from 6.5% to 8.5% of construction costs. Schultz would recommend using this firm as long as the contract specified that the Basic Professional Service fees would be 8% or less of construction costs. MOTION by Jacobs to recommend that the City enter into a contract with JEA Architects to design, create the plans and specifications, and act as a construction administrator for the construction of the park shelter building at Bloomfield Park, as long as their maximum Professional Service fees do not exceed 8% of total construction costs. SECOND by Defries. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. c. Director’s Report – The Park Improvement Fund Balance as of December 31, 2005 was $1,665,052.69. Interest of $1,748.03 was received and there were expenditures of $18,698.92. Meeting with Rosemount Area Athletic Association (RAAA) – Members of the City Council, the Parks and Recreation Commission (Jacobs and Johnson) and City staff attended a RAAA Board/Program Director meeting on Monday, January 9, 2006. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss RAAA’s needs. Staff asked them to provide us with a list of the top ten things that need to be addressed right now. The City is willing to support and work with RAAA in addressing these issues. 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Sampo to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by Defries. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 10:11 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary