HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 01-11-1996Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting
January 11, 1996
Page 1
Present: Commissioners Anderson, Bildsoe, Fiemann, Johnson, Priebe, Wahl and Willegalle;
staff Blank and Pederson; Andy Jensen, representing Plymouth -Wayzata Traveling
Baseball
1. CALL TO ORDER
Vice Chair Wahl called the January meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Parks and Recreation
Mooney Lake Room.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion was made by Commissioner Fiemann and seconded by Commissioner Wahl to
approve the minutes of the December meeting as presented. The motion carried with all ayes.
3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS
a. Athletic Associations. Andy Jensen, representing Plymouth -Wayzata Traveling Baseball.
See item 6-a.
b. Staff. None were present.
c. Others. None were present.
4. PAST COUNCIL ACTION
a. Council approved the Elm Creels Playfield budget.
5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Private swimming pool/Wayzata School Dist. pool study update. Director Blank
announced that the Wayzata City Council voted unanimously to contribute $50,000 to the
City of Plymouth in support of the ice arena. He also indicated that the Wayzata School
District will be contributing $250,000 toward the ice arena and will be officially voting
next week to authorize spending $1.5 million on the pool facility. There had been some
concern that if bid package 44 on the new high school had come in over budget, the
school district would need that $1.5 million to help with the high school, but the bid
package came in under budget, so the money can now be used for the pool.
Director Blank stated that the Council authorized Shea Architects to begin designing the
ice arena/pool complex, so that if the voters approve the expenditure of $5,000,000 in
community improvement fiinds on February 6, the concept plans will be ready to go out
for bid. If things proceed as hoped, constriction could begin in early spring. Director
Blank said that things are moving along on a fast track and that a special meeting of the
PRAC Minutes/January 1996
Page 2
Park Commission might have to be called between the regular February and March
meeting dates.
Director Blank also indicated that he attended a meeting at the National Sports Center in
Blaine to meet with the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission to receive all the official
paperwork related to the ice arena grant. He stated that Wayzata Youth Hockey will be
contributing $250,000 to the City for the ice arena and will soon be distributing literature
and lawn signs urging citizens to vote yes on February 6. Director Blank informed the
Commission that the City is holding a public hearing/information meeting on Monday,
January 22, to discuss the plans for the new facilities. They will detail the proposals under
consideration, as well as take citizen comments and answer questions. PRAC members
are urged to attend that meeting if possible. He also explained that the January issue of
Plymouth News will be in residents' homes this week, and that there are three separate
articles on the proposed facilities included.
Commissioner Priebe asked Director Blank if he received the fax he sent with his
comments on the letter of intent submitted by Life Time Fitness. He has a number of
concerns regarding the well-being of the City should Life Time fail to operate the facility
at a level expected by the City. Even though the proposed facilities are not a City
community center, there is the potential for many residents to view it that way,
considering that the facility could be constricted on City -owned land. Commissioner
Priebe wants the City to be more protected than it currently is as stated in the letter of
intent. Director Blank agreed with the concept that residents might view this facility as a
community center, but he explained to the Park Commission that if the project proceeds
with Life Time Fitness, the City would have no responsibility whatsoever for how the
facility operates. Citizens would have to take their complaints to Life Time Fitness, not to
the City.
Commissioner Fiemann asked Director Blank if the City, 10 years from now, could buy
other land and build a community center, even if Life Time builds its facility? Director
Blank indicated that it was a possibility. Director Blank added that Life Time is meeting
with Health West, too. Chances are that if Life Time does not build on our site, they will
build over at Health West. Commissioner Bildsoe then commented that he had a recent
conversation with one of the Health West administrators and was told that they have big
plans for the land to the east, where MacDonald's sits. They would like to buy that
property, relocate MacDonald's and build a first-class fitness facility that would be similar
to a community center and open to the public. One of the Park Commission's main
concerns has been that Life Time Fitness will cater more to adults than it will to families
and kids.
b. West Medicine Lake Park update. Director Blank said that he had met with the DNR
Corps of Engineers attempting to get approval to dredge back waters for canoeing and
dredge the area proposed as swimming beach. They verbally indicated they would
probably approve the swimming beach, but not the dredging of the back waters.
PRAC Minutes/January 1996
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c. Open spaces update. Director Blank announced that two of the three owners of site 44
finally accepted the City's offer to purchase their land, but the third owner is still holding
out for $1.4 million. Director Blank said that when he finds out the other owners
accepted the City's offer, he may realize that it would be in his best interest to sell as well.
His parcel is in the middle of the other two, and because of the deal made with the other
owners, the City is now in a very advantageous position.
d. Playfield/high school update. Director Blank stated that bid package 44 came in under
budget, which is the reason the School District can now contribute their $1.5 million to
the pool project as they indicated they would. Bid package 45 will go out for bid this
month. This is the portion that includes the playfield. A football stadium is included in
this package, even though the school district does not have the fiends at this time to build
that.
e. Senior citizen needs analysis update. Director Blank announced that at their last meeting,
a final report was presented and reviewed. It needs a little fine tuning and then it will be
sent to the Youth Sports Task Force for their review and then forwarded to PRAC.
f. Continue golf course discussion. Director Blank said that he had no new information to
report.
6. NEW BUSINESS
a. Proposal from Plymouth -Wayzata Youth Baseball to place signs on outfield fences at
Parkers Lake Playfield. Andy Jensen, representing this youth athletic association, made a
presentation to the Park Commission requesting permission to place advertising on the
outfield fences at Parkers Lake Playfield. His objectives in making the presentation were
to familiarize the City with PWYBA's mission and goals, to present a unique fiind raising
opportunity, and to gain permission to utilize the baseball fields in their corporate
sponsorship efforts. He then explained that Plymouth -Wayzata Traveling Baseball
currently raises fiinds by corporate sponsorship; holding tournaments, thus, deriving
revenue from entry fees, concessions and souvenirs; and charging a market rate to each
player for their involvement. The players are currently charged $235 each season, and
they are proposing a 27% increase in that rate. How the fiinds would be used included
purchasing more and better equipment, providing more scholarships to needy families, and
establishing a reserve fiind for travel costs to national tournaments. Mr. Jensen explained
that the community would benefit by having its reputation enhanced throughout the
country, the costs associated with maintaining first class facilities would be shared, and the
families that represent the community when traveling to baseball tournaments would have
their financial responsibilty reduced. Additional fiind raising methods they are proposing
include: forming a parent booster club and a corporate booster club, selling travel team
merchandise, seeking more corporate and team sponsors, and corporate advertising on the
outfield fences at Parkers Lake. Mr. Jensen explained that the signs would be
professionally designed and would be of uniform size and shape, thus maintaining the
integrity and beauty of the Parkers Lake Playfield, and the profits from the advertising
would go to support traveling baseball. Mr. Jensen then reviewed for the Park
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Commission a chart explaining the costs that would be incurred to upgrade their
equipment, which totaled $22,463. This would include everything from bats and batting
helmets to scorebooks and socks. He further explained that their annual operating budget
is $35,000.
Commissioner Bildsoe asked how many kids are in the travel program, and Mr. Jensen
indicated 150. Bildsoe then calculated that by charging each child $235 to play results in
revenue of $35,250.
Commissioner Priebe wanted to know who else uses the Parkers Lake Playfields. Director
Blank responded that almost all of the use is by PWYBA, and that they were the driving
force behind constricting the fields in the first place.
Commissioner Bildsoe commented that he was not comfortable with the placement of
signs on the outfield fences. He was concerned about how it would detract from the park
and the precedence it might set. Other commissioners were also concerned about the
public's reaction to advertising in the parks and how it might lead to other youth athletic
associations wanting to advertise in several of the City's parks, such as Zachary Playfield
and Bass Lake Playfield. Director Blank commented that an organization sponsoring a
league at our in-line skating rink has indicated that they want to put advertising signs on
the inside boards around that rink, so there is potential for this sort of advertising to grow.
Commissioners Johnson, Wahl and Fiemann commented that they did not have a problem
with the baseball association putting signs on the outfield fences. They suggested that it
be tried on a trial basis, and if it causes problems or generates complaints from the public,
the signs would come down at the end of the season and not go up again. That way if
other groups wanted to do the same thing, the City could reply that this is being done as a
pilot program only. Commissioner Priebe thought it might be possible to erect the signs, if
the City were to collect the revenue and use it toward field maintenance and other costs
associated with operating the facility, thus allowing the baseball association to spend more
of its fiindraising money on the items mentioned in the presentation. Commissioner Priebe
then asked if the association had considered temporary signs that could be placed only
during tournaments and come down when the tournament was over. Commissioner Wahl
agreed that this might be a good compromise. It was the general consensus of the
Commission that this was the best solution. They wholeheartedly agreed that the baseball
association had a good idea regarding corporate sponsorship and they thanked Mr. Jensen
for his presentation. Director Blank said that he would check with the Community
Development Department on the City's sign ordinance, and would look into other
community's policies on signs in parks and report back to Mr. Jensen and to the
Commission at their February meeting. The Commission agreed to delay formal action on
this item until February.
b. Review draft of 1995 annual report and 1996 work plan. The Commission briefly
reviewed the draft copy of their 1995 annual report and then began discussing projects to
include in their `96 work plan, which were: planning the northeast neighborhood park,
review status of golf courses, Greenwood Elementary playground project, phase two of
PRAC Minutes/January 1996
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West Medicine Lake park, trails, developing an operational plan for open space, planning
a combined activities/senior center, and developing guidelines for low-income families
wanting to use the ice rink and pool facility.
c. Approve new location and cost estimate for amphitheater. Director Blank indicated that if
the voters approve the building of the ice rinks and pool, a new location will have to be
chosen for the Music in Plymouth concerts. He displayed a concept plan prepared by
Brauer and Associates, showing the new location just north of the Public Safety Building.
A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER ANDERSON AND SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER WILLEGALLE RECOMMENDING APPROVAL OF THE NEW
LOCATION FOR THE AMPHITHEATER. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL
AYES.
7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION
Commissioner Willegalle announced that the Parkers Lake Improvement Associastion is
sponsoring the Viking Kick Sled demos at Fire and Ice this year.
Commissioner Bildsoe said he attended a recent meeting at Greenwood Elementary School
and was very impressed to see how excited school officials were about the City's contribution
of $50,000 to their playground improvement project. He commented that it's very rewarding
to see the positive effects the Park Commission has on the community and what a difference it
makes. He said he feels very honored to be a part of it. He, as well as the other
commissioners, stated appreciation for the outstanding effort put forth by Director Blank and
the rest of the park and recreation staff.
8. STAFF COMM[_]NICATION
Director Blank distributed "We Love Our Kids" buttons to the Commissioners and
encouraged them to wear the buttons at Fire and Ice, because that slogan is this year's theme.
9. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m.