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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 04-10-1997Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting April 10, 1997 Page 13 Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Fiemann, Johnson, Priebe, Thompson, Wahl, Willegalle; staff Bisek, Blank and Pederson; Councilmember Wold and Mayor Tierney 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Anderson called the April meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Council Chambers. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Wahl and seconded by Commissioner Thompson to approve the minutes of the February meeting as presented. The motion carried with all ayes. 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Athletic Associations. None were present. b. Staff. Mary discussed the Primavera arts event, which was held the weekend of April 4. One hundred thirty artists displayed their works at City Hall. The artists ranged from high school students through adults. There has been some discussion of having art works permanently displayed at the City Center. The Park and Recreation department has two new clerical people on the staff. Gerry retired in March. She was replaced by Sheri Moonen, who came with previous experience in the parks and recreation field. We also have a new seasonal clerical person named Sheila Langer, who will be with us through August. The recreation division is currently hiring seasonal summer staff. Summer registration started on April 8. The Shape Up Challenge, a competitive fitness program among corporations in Plymouth, began the week of April 7. Mary stated that a new project that's going to be starting in conjunction with Conect is a take off of a program done in St. Paul involving at -risk teens constricting wooden boats. We will be doing our own Plymouth version of that. A facility for constricting the boats has been secured and two boats will be made. The group will be meeting on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5-8 p.m. in the double garage at one of the water tower sites. 4. PAST COUNCIL ACTION a. The Council and Hennepin Parks have given approval to East Medicine Lake Regional trail plan. The project will be under constriction in late July. The master plan for West Medicine Lake Park was approved. Council also approved the Park Commission annual report. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. West Medicine Lake Park update. Phase 1 was the acquisition and building of the road. J and K Contracting has to come back now and upgrade that road. The bridge has not been stained yet. There's a sidewalk that goes on the east side of the curb that has to be done. Phase 2 is to relocate water line, dredge beach, and bridge. Phase 3 is grading the rest of PRAC Minutes/April 1997 Page 14 the park, building the additional parking lot, four picnic shelters, trails, playground, and the rest of the amenities. This park project may be wrapped up by the end of September. b. Ice arena/Life Time Fitness update. Director Blank is taking people on a tour Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Workers are laying piping on the practice rink. They will start pouring concrete on April 17. It has to cure for 30 days. On May 17 the compressors will be turned on to make ice. The first ice has to be ready by May 27. We will get a temporary occupancy permit. The second rink will continue to be constricted. That one needs to be completed by July 2 for a major tournament. Life Time intends to open Memorial Day weekend. Commissioner Fiemann asked about the picketers. Director Blank explained that it was the glazing union and only affected Life Time's building. c. Open spaces update. Mark Peterson will be reconvening that group. d. Elm Creek playfield update. We finished some additional bidding on fencing. Bids on the shelter building were rejected for a second time. Director Blank said that we need some warm weather and sun to get the grass growing. The light towers are up. We are ahead of the school district's work on their fields. They will likely use our fields when school starts in September if theirs are not done. e. Continue golf course discussion. Nothing new to report on this item. f. Regional trail. Staff will be working with Hennepin Parks on helping get the trail through our park. g. Skateboard park grant update - view videotape. The Park Commission viewed the first half of a skateboard park videotape. The second half will be viewed at another meeting. Councilmember Wold thinks we may need two skateboard parks in Plymouth, one in southwest Plymouth and one in northeast Plymouth. Commissioner Priebe believes that if there is a need, we have the responsibility to address it. It's important to include in line skaters in this review, also. Whatever is built should include their needs, too. If they are well located and well designed, kids will use them rather than going someplace else. Director Blank attended a meeting at the library, and 60 kids showed up. He spoke to one mom who is the chauffeur for five kids and she takes them all over town to various skateboard parks, similar to what hockey parents go through. Director Blank explained that a grant has been submitted in cooperation with the 284 School District. Some possible sites for locating a skateboard park are somewhere near the ice arena, over by Oakwood Elementary or near Parkers Lake. Director Blank stated that for $30,000 we can build one. Burnsville will open their skateboard park in June. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Review trail needs on 19th Avenue adjacent to Imperial Hills Park. Director Blank explained that the curve along 19th Avenue, near the entrance to Imperial Hills Park, has been identified as a problem. Cars are picking up speed as they drive down from 20th Avenue and then, being unable to make the curve, they drive up on private yards, etc. The PRAC Minutes/April 1997 Page 15 city has been looking at ways to slow down the speed. The most recent method was to install speed humps, which they did last August. The issue here is two fold according to Director Blank --speeding and the safety of pedestrians coming and going to the park. The existing sidewalk goes up along Peony Lane from County Road 6, and then it turns to the right. From there to the park entrance, there is no sidewalk or trail. The options are: do nothing, constrict an off-road trail, or on -road striped bike lanes on both sides of the road. Fred Moore and Director Blank have walked this area, but there does not appear to be a definitive answer. Everyone has a different opinion of the situation. The Council is looking for thoughts and ideas on this issue. Director Blank and Mr. Moore are comfortable with on -road bike lanes on both sides of the street from 20th down to Peony. Neighbors are dubious about that because of lack of parking once striped lanes are put in. One neighbor is willing to have a sidewalk go in front of her house explained Mayor Tierney. Commissioner Wahl said there are no speed humps by the park, and perhaps there should be. Mayor Tierney stated that a four-way stop sign went in at the 19th and 20th Avenue intersection and has made a considerable difference in slowing traffic down. Some residents want another speed hump installed. The speed humps are experimental, and they may or may not stay. Commissioners asked if a bike lane is necessary on both sides of the street? Director Blank said yes. Commissioners then asked if there is much day time parking on that section of road? Mayor Tierney didn't think so. Commissioner Priebe thinks the road seems too narrow to put in striped lanes on both sides, and he believes it might give bikers a false sense of security. He feels better about a sidewalk on one side. There is no stop sign at the end of the trail where it comes out of the park. Installing one there might help stop the bicyclists. The neighbors want a stop sign along 19th Avenue, according to Mayor Tierney. Engineering is not in favor of that, but the Council can override them she said. Commissioners asked what benefit will a stop sign have at 19th and Peony? Director Blank said they sometimes work in reverse. People get annoyed if they feel they have to stop needlessly, and they make up for it by driving even faster. Neighbors coming and going are causing the traffic, not the park's visitors. 19th is the most often traveled road in and out of that neighborhood. There are no recorded incidents of injuries or anything with people coming and going to park. Director Blank said that trails in other parks usually come out onto residential streets. The speed limit on this road is 30 mph. There's a four-way stop at 20th & 19th. Mayor Tierney suggested trying an off-road trail from Xanthus/20th Avenue down to Peony. Commissioners asked what the difference is between sidewalk and trail? A sidewalk is 5 feet wide and trails are 8 feet wide, so a sidewalk might be more acceptable to the neighbors. Commissioner Wahl suggested going with Director Blank's recommendation of striped lanes on both sides of the street. It's not as costly as an off-road trail and may slow down the traffic. Commissioner Priebe stated that he wasn't comfortable with that. He wanted to know if speed humps were working. Mayor Tierney said they will be checking soon on how effective the speed humps have been. Mayor Tierney would like to see a sidewalk put in, but understands that putting the stripe on the road is the least expensive way to go. There will be another hearing in May about adding more speed humps. Commissioner Fiemann suggested adding a speed hump near the entrance to the park. Mayor Tierney wanted to know if bike lanes were put in, could people ask police for special consideration if they were going to have a need to park on the street? Commissioner Fiemann recommended PRAC Minutes/April 1997 Page 16 striping the road on both sides, giving consideration to another speed hump, and adding another stop sign. Commissioners were in agreement with this suggestion. Mayor Tierney asked that staff check out whether or not temporary parking is allowed on the street if there's a bike lane on both sides. 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION Commissioner Fiemann asked about the Greenwood school property. Director Blank stated that the City told the School District if they bought the land and house, the City would help develop it. Commissioner Wahl asked about a park tour in May. Director Blank said it would be discussed at the next meeting. 8. STAFF COMM[_]NICATION The next activity center meeting is set for April 22 at 7 p.m. Music in Plymouth is July 2. 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9 p.m.