HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 02-08-1996Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting
February 8, 1996
Page 7
Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Fiemann, Johnson, Thompson, Wahl and Willegalle;
Councilman Wold; staff Bisek, Blank and Pederson
Absent: Commissioner Priebe
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Anderson called the February meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Mooney Lake Room.
Director Blank introduced Kathleen Thompson, explaining that she has replaced
Commissioner Bildsoe, who was appointed to the Planning Commission.
A motion was made and seconded to reappoint Don Anderson as the Chair and Mark Wahl as
the Vice Chair of the Park Commission for 1996. The motion carried with all ayes.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion was made by Commissioner Johnson and seconded by Commissioner Fiemann to
approve the minutes of the January meeting as presented. The motion carried with all ayes.
3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS
a. Athletic Associations. None were present.
b. Staff. Mary Bisek announced that registration for spring classes began on Feb. 8, and that
some classes were already fill, or close to filling after just the first day. She stated that the
City is part of a group called CONECT Collaborative, which was formed to provide
services to low-income apartment dwellers. As part of this project, we are offering
swimming lessons to some residents using the pool in their apartment complex.
A long-term project being studied now is inter -active phone registration, a customer
service the City would like to offer in the fi ture.
Recreation Supervisor Karol Greupner is working with a new arts committee that will help
with the fall arts festival. Mary stated that the group is looking for new members, so if the
commissioners are interested or know of others who might be, they should get in touch
with Karol.
Work has begun on the `96 History Fest, which is scheduled for August 10.
Commissioner Johnson asked about the financial implications of cancelling Fire and Ice.
Mary stated that the decision to cancel was made early enough to cancel performers and
donations of food items. A couple performers asked for half their fee but said they would
PRAC Minutes/February 1996
Page 8
apply it to next year's performance. The makings for s'mores had already been purchased,
so the unopened graham crackers and marshmallows were donated to the Food Shelf, and
the candy bars will be sold to City employees. The fireworks company wanted half their
fee also, and Mary said that part of the event was handled by the Civic League, and she
was informed that it had been taken care of.
c. Others. None.
4. PAST COUNCIL ACTION
There was nothing to report on this item.
5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Review ice arena/pool complex. Director Blank reviewed the results of the special
election and explained that it passed by a 3 to I margin. He also indicated that the voter
turnout was about the same as for the November election and slightly less than the open
space election. He stated that meetings with the architect have been held almost on a daily
basis and that work on the project will continue to move along at an extremely fast pace.
One project that needs to get done quickly is the relocation of the amphitheater for Music
in Plymouth, which must be ready by July 2. The re -design of the site is going to the
Planning Commission for a public hearing this month.
Director Blank then reviewed the latest architectural drawings for the Life Time Fitness
Club and the ice arena. He stated that this Life Time Club will have one of the largest
child care centers in it of any of the other clubs. He described the layout of the club and
what would be located on each floor, cautioning that these are preliminary plans and could
likely change.
Next he reviewed the ice arena plans and stated that these plans were posing some
challenges, due to the fact that the arena's locker facilities must be designed for both male
and female athletes. He explained that the second, smaller rink may be ice only five
months out of the year, and the rest of the time could be used for other events, such as in-
line skating, flea markets, extra gym space, etc. The large Olympic size rink will have
seating for 3,200 and the smaller rink could seat up to 1,000. There will be areas set aside
for accommodating spectators with wheelchairs. There's also a special area designed for
cable equipment to set up for purposes of televising events. There will be storage areas
underneath the walkways that could be used by youth athletic associations for things like
storing soccer and baseball equipment, etc. He explained that the locker facilities are not
large enough to accommodate both the Wayzata High School's boys' and girls' hockey
teams at the same time. One year the boys will be using the facilities, while the girls use
the high school's arena, and the next year, they would trade places.
Director Blank informed PRAC that the entire site package which includes the ice arena,
Life Time Fitness facilities and pools, has to be submitted to the City by Friday, February
16, in order to stay on schedule, so that constriction could begin by April 1. Director
Blank added that there are only four manufacturers of steel trusses, and they are about
PRAC Minutes/February 1996
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four months behind in production. He stated that he would like to have the ice arena open
by December or early next January. He plans to put together a job description for an ice
arena manager, so the position could be filled by July 1. He is hoping that the first event
in the new arena could be a game between Wayzata Hockey and Armstrong Hockey,
which could bring spectators from all over Plymouth and pretty much fill the arena.
Commissioners asked when Life Time expected to open. Director Blank responded that
they are hoping to be open by November 1, but the City's agreement with them states that
they cannot open until the ice arena opens. Since they are the constriction managers for
the entire project, they will move as quickly as possible to get the project completed.
Commissioners asked what happens if Life Time chooses not to build on this site.
Director Blank said that we would still constrict the ice arena, but he wasn't sure how the
pool situation would be handled.
b. West Medicine Lake Park update. Constriction has stopped for the winter. The
surcharge on the road is going slowly and taking longer than planned. The consultant will
be attending a PRAC meeting in the next month or two to begin looking at phase two of
the project.
c. Open spaces update. Director Blank said that a deal has been reached with two of the
owners, one for $145,000 and the other for $150,000. The third owner is still asking $1.4
million for his piece which is situated in the middle of the other two.
d. Playfield high school update. The high school building is under design now. The outdoor
grounds package will be out for bid in mid-March, and the budget for this portion is $1.6
million. Director Blank stated that the City did some restructuring of its tax increment
fiend and is giving $700,000 to the School District for two gym stations which were
dropped from the plan due to limited District fiends.
e. Senior citizen needs analysis update. A draft of the report was sent out to members of the
sub -committee for their review. A final report will be put together in the next few days
and will be sent to the Youth Sports Task Force for their review, from there to PRAC and
then to the City Council.
f. Continue golf course discussion. No new information was available.
6. NEW BUSINESS
a. Update on proposal from Plymouth -Wayzata Youth Baseball to place signs on outfield
fences. Staff researched eight other communities and discovered that none of them allows
outdoor advertising. In addition, our City ordinance does not permit it either. When
asked if it was okay to do short term advertising, Director Blank said that it was allowed
up to ten days prior to the event.
PRAC Minutes/February 1996
Page 10
A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER ANDERSON AND SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER WILLEGALLE DIRECTING STAFF TO CONTACT MR. JENSEN
AND INFORM HIM OF THE CITY'S ORDINANCE ON OUTDOOR ADVERTISING.
THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES.
b. Approve annual report and 1996 work plan. Director Blank reviewed the 1996 work plan
which includes developing a plan of action to save one or more of the private golf courses
in Plymouth from development; designing and constricting a park in northeast Plymouth
in the Cardinal Ridge area; working in cooperation to develop a new playground at
Greenwood Elementary School; the completion of phase one of West Medicine Lake Park
and the start of phase two; the ongoing review and updating of the City's comprehensive
trail system plan; including planning for a pedestrian bridge across 494 at County Road 9,
for which the City has been notified that they will receive a grant in 1999; review of
operational riles and regulations for the newly acquired open space, working with the
Planning Commission on planning northwest Plymouth, developing recommendations on a
scholarship program for low-income residents to use the ice arena and Life Time Fitness
swimming pool facilities; and working with seniors toward the goal of building an activity
center to meet their needs.
A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER FIEMANN AND SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER WAHL TO APPROVE THE 1995 ANNUAL REPORT AND 1996
WORK PLAN, AND FORWARD IT TO THE CITY COUNCIL, WITH ONE CHANGE
IN ITEM 8 OF THE WORK PLAN, DROPPING THE WORDS "PENDING THE
SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME OF THE SPECIAL ELECTION ON FEBRUARY 6". THE
MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES.
c. Facility Rental Fees and Policies. Director Blank briefly reviewed the proposed fees and
policies for renting park facilities in 1996 and explained that staff is recommending
keeping the fees the same as in 1995. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER
WAHL AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER JOHNSON ACCEPTING THE 1996
PARK RENTAL FEES AND POLICIES AS RECOMMENDED BY STAFF. THE
MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES.
7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION
None.
8. STAFF COMM[_]NICATION
None.
9. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.