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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 01-13-2022 1 Approved Minutes January 13, 2022 Approved Minutes Park & Recreation Advisory Commission Thursday, January 13, 2022 MEMBERS PRESENT: Vice Chair Marilyn Sunseri, Commissioners: Ann Hoekstra, Hannah Wegner, Vita Wilson MEMBERS ABSENT: Chair Tricia DeBleeckere, Commissioner Allie Storti, Commissioner Margie Dupois STAFF PRESENT: Deputy Director Barb Northway, Recreation Manager Kari Hemp, Parks & Forestry Project Coordinator Sonya Rippe, Office Support Representative Sarah Josephs, Office Support Specialist Genny Layne COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES: Council Member Jim Willis, Planning Commissioner Michael Boo CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair Marilyn Sunseri called the meeting to order at 7:00 PUBLIC FORUM PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION ANNOUNCEMENTS (3.1) French Master Plan Update Project Coordinator Sonya Rippe was present to share an update on Three Rivers Park District and the final stages of French Regional Park planning. The public can give input through the survey that will be open through January 31, 2022. (3.2) Alcohol in the Parks and Facility Policy Update Recreation Manager Kari Hemp presented an update on the Alcohol in the Parks and Facility Policy Update. The Liquor and Beer in Parks Ordinance had not been updated since 2003. City staff have received many requests, calls and questions when renting park facilities and shelters regarding the allowance of alcohol. Staff reviewed the ordinance internally and then with City Council at the October 12, 2021, study session. Items discussed included the history, other communities that allow alcohol, liability, and permit fees. After the discussion, City Council directed staff to update the ordinance to allow liquor at the rentable park facilities with a free administrative permit. Facilities affected include East Medicine Lake Shelter, Parkers Lake Shelter and Building, Bass Lake Building, Hilde Performance Center, Northwest Greenway Pavilion, Plymouth Community Center, and Millennium Garden. City Council approved amendments to Section 2015.13 of the City Code and amendments to Hilde Performance Center Rental, Millennium Garden, Park Facilities Rental and Plymouth Community Center policies, as attached, to mirror the proposed City Code at the December 14, 2021, meeting. The City Attorney had reviewed and approved the proposed ordinance changes. Commissioner Vita Wilson asked where the Bass Lake Shelter is located. Manager Hemp described the building location. 2 Approved Minutes January 13, 2022 Commissioner Ann Hoekstra asked what the impetus was behind the ordinance change. The ordinance had not been updated since 2003 and City staff have received many calls, requests and questions when renting park facilities and shelters regarding the allowance of alcohol. Commissioner Hoekstra asked what the changes to fees would be and what the liability would be. Renters would have to have an administrative permit and follow requirements as to selling alcohol set by City and state laws. The renter will also have to carry liability insurance. Commissioner Hoekstra asked if the policy would be evaluated again or go forward. Manager Hemp advised that the City Council had approved the ordinance and it would go into place. Vice Chair Sunseri inquired if there was something that could be done if things got out of hand. Renters are encouraged to follow the rules set and contact the authorities if ever needed. (3.3) Plymouth Community Center Update Manager Hemp presented an update on the Plymouth Community Center. There has been positive reaction and feedback to the K.U.B.E, walking track and gym. Pictures of the finished active wing are shown. Manager Hemp moved on to show phase 2, with most walls and outer structure having gone up. Walls are getting painted by the black box theater, multipurpose rooms are going up, and the outer shell is getting enclosed. Delays are anticipated with an opening of the education and event wing in mid-summer (mid-July). Commissioner Wagner stated she had been to the PCC and was blown away. She said the lighting is unique and cool and she was excited to use the track. Commissioner Wagner asked about the overall reaction to the sensory room? There have been ongoing improvements in the hallway. The official Kulture City certification just came through and we will start marketing as of today. Commissioner Hoekstra stated she had used the walking track yesterday, and it was fantastic. APPROVE AGENDA (4.1) Approve Agenda Motion by Commissioner Wilson and seconded by Commissioner Hoekstra recommending approval of the January 13 Park and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting agenda. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Consent Agenda (5.1) Adopt proposed Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes Motion by Commissioner Hoekstra, and seconded by Commissioner Wagner recommending approval of the September 9 Park and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting minutes as written. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. General Business (6.1) PRAC Work Plan Manager Hemp presented a Work Plan for Commissioners to review. Once approved, the Work Plan is forward to City Council for their approval. The Work Plan is split into on-going projects, First Quarter, Second Quarter, Third Quarter, and Fourth Quarter projects. 3 Approved Minutes January 13, 2022 Projects coming up in include Reviewing the Annual Report, playground replacements are scheduled at Shenandoah and St. Mary’s Parks, and the Zachary Pickleball Project is in development. There will continue to be updates on construction and opening of Phase 2 of the Plymouth Community. Later this year Commissioners will be asked to review department rental policies and fees for any updates. Additional projects include approving the 2023-2027 Capital Improvement Plan and reviewing PCC and Historical Society operations. Park projects include the Plymouth Creek parking lot, new trails (Medina-Niagara), and the Northwest Greenway electronic sign. Later in the year, Commissioners will review Plymouth Ice Center operations, Parks & Forestry operations and Recreation operations. Motion by Commissioner Hoekstra, and seconded by Commissioner Wagner recommending approval of Plymouth Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission 2022 Work Plan. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. (6.2) Shenandoah Park and Playground Renovation Parks & Forestry Project Coordinator Sonya Rippe presented for approval to replace Shenandoah Park playground, originally built in 2000. Five proposals were received by Parks & Forestry. The staff narrowed down to two options vetted by four components. There was a virtual and in-person open house that residents were notified about by mail, Nextdoor and the City website. The virtual open house closed after one week on January 11, 2022, with 17 responses. No one attended the in-person open house earlier this evening. To put responses in perspective, during the height of the pandemic, 35-75 virtual responses were received for previous projects. Out of the 17 responses received for Shenandoah, nine people voted for color option 2 and eight voted for color option 1. Twelve people voted for design option 2 and one person voted for option 1 with one person skipping this portion of the vote. Comments included the following: 1. Both two color options are way to vibrant. Please consider a much more toned down scheme. Also, the main playground is close by, by the fields, so I also do not want a large setup. This playground as is seems fine, maybe some updates or maintenance, but I do believe our cities funding could better be used elsewhere. 2. I would love to see more shrubs and trees in the area. 3. The GameTime one looks more accessible from sidewalk. Also like the colors better. 4. Game Time is too large/intricate/whatever for the number of kids who currently play at Shenandoah ... seems a waste of money to accommodate just a few kids. I live next to the park, and days go by when no kids have come to play. By the way, in the design verbiage, "accomodate" is spelled wrong. "Accommodate" is correct. In both designs no attention is given to adult usage of the park ... no benches to sit on, no picnic tables. 5. Are the paths around the playground and the marsh area going to be repaved? They are heavily utilized and buckling in many places. 6. Option 1 does not have enough options to keep toddlers entertained. Option 2 provides a better mix of things which are appropriate for all age groups. 7. See saw, rock climbing wall 8. Kids love slides - the more, the better! Coordinator Rippe advised that playgrounds are generally replaced every 20 years due to components wearing out and safety standards changing over the years. Replacement of the Shenandoah Park playground is scheduled in the Capital Improvement Program for 2022 in the amount of $135,000, utilizing Park Replacement Funds. 4 Approved Minutes January 13, 2022 Commissioner Wagner asked to see the toddler play area on both options. She is shown both options with different features. Deputy Director Barb Northway pointed out artificial turf instead of woodchips is used in the toddler area. Commissioner Hoekstra asked if any shrubs or trees were destroyed for replacement. Per Coordinator Rippe, the outline of the playground stays the same other than removing the large sandbox and replacing it with a smaller sandbox because the sand attracts bees. Commissioner Wagner points out that there is no shelter in option 1. There is a shelter already in place and it will stay. Commissioner Wilson commented that with some playgrounds near multi-family homes, perhaps we could look at options for older people and not just kids. Going forward she would like to look at plantings or leisure space, such as at the Hilde. Deputy Director Northway stated all of this is kept in mind. Benches will be replaced in the area. A Forester is brought in on any park replacement and new trees and shrubs get planted. More of these items can be highlighted in the future. Vice Commissioner Sunseri points out the white outline on the playground and asks if that is concrete and whether it is a safety hazard. It is built as a safety zone for that specific play feature and built in accordance with Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) and Americans with Disabilities (ADA) standards. Deputy Director Northway advises the concrete container is at grade level ad below that 15 inches is sand for drainage and wood. Commissioner Wagner asked about which trails would be reclaimed. Coordinator Rippe showed the map with a tentative plan for trail development depending on separate funding being available. Commissioner Wilson asked if everyone agreed that option 2 was the one that most people wanted. Vice Chair Sunseri asked if there was any discussion on that. Commissioner Wagner asked to see the area for the little ones again and pointed out there was a house in option 1 but not in option 2. Two very different designs were purposefully chosen. Motion by Commissioner Wilson, and seconded by Commissioner Hoekstra recommending approval of design option 2 and color option 2. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Reports and Staff Recommendations (7.1) Special Events Manager Hemp presented the current and upcoming special events calendar. Skate the Hilde happened tonight. A Night on the Town was canceled due to low enrollment and covid concerns. Vice Chair Sunseri asked how many were registered for the event. 29 were registered as of this week, and we had to cancel this week to get the down payment back. We plan to reschedule the event in the fall outside. In the past we had approximately 100-200 attendees for these types of events. Commissioner Wilson thanked staff for all their work managing everything over the last year-and-a-half. Manager Hemp stated that Commissioner DuPois is not present but wanted to recognize that this would be her last meeting and thank her for serving. 5 Approved Minutes January 13, 2022 At the upcoming PRAC meeting February 10, 2022, new Commissioner James Kuznia will start. We will also be appointing Chair and Vice Chair for the upcoming year. The Open House for St. Mary’s Park will take place from 6-7 p.m. before the meeting. There will be an update on the Zachary Pickleball Courts and the Plymouth Creek parking lot. Manager Hemp stated that Director Diane Evans is retiring, and her last day is February 18th. Deputy Director Northway will be the Director and the process has started for Deputy Director Northway’s replacement. Deputy Director Northway’s replacement should start in the middle of February. Adjournment Vice Chair Sunseri asked if Council Member Willis or Planning Commissioner Boo if they would like to add anything. Council Member Willis thanked Commissioners for serving and exploring parks ideas and improvements. Vice Chair Sunseri stated she felt they had a great team who like to bring different perspectives from the residents. Motion by Commissioner Wilson, seconded by Commissioner Wagner, recommending adjournment of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting. With no objection, Vice Chair Sunseri adjourned the meeting at 7:41 p.m.