HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 11-13-1997Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting
November 13, 1997
Page 36
Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Johnson, Thompson, Wahl, Willegalle; staff Blank
and Pederson; Planning Commissioner Berkowitz
Absent: Commissioners Priebe and Fiemann
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Anderson called the November meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion was made by Commissioner Willegalle and seconded by Commissioner Thompson
to approve the minutes of the October meeting as presented. The motion carried with all
ayes.
3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS
a. Athletic Associations. None were present.
b. Staff. None were present.
c. Others. See item 6a.
4. PAST COUNCIL ACTION
Several more change orders and final payments were approved on the ice arena project.
5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. West Medicine Lake Park update. The parking lot has been paved, the picnic shelters will
be built in the next two weeks, sodding around the beach area has been done, the boat
launch and ice fishing access is ready to go, and the playground is in.
b. Elm Creek Playfield update. Fields have been sodded at Elm Creek, workers finished the
maintenance room that controls lighting and irrigation, and paving of trails is complete.
We expect to use the softball fields next April. We've started using the gym at the high
school for adult basketball and volleyball.
c. East Medicine Lake regional trail update. Asphalt is down on the road portion, utilities
will be underground, some retaining walls are in, but the trail will not be paved until next
spring.
d. Armstrong High School gym update. The gymnasium wood floor is being sanded and
stained and is scheduled to open by Thanksgiving. The school is very excited about it,
and said it appears larger than they anticipated.
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e. Activity Center update. Council met with the activity center subcommittee. They looked
at four scenarios for the building. The subcommittee thinks it should be located on 34th
Avenue rather than trying to attach it to Life Time Fitness. There maybe a joint project
with the School Districts on an early childhood center to be located within the activity
center.
f. Name for northeast neighborhood park. Staff won't do any naming until next spring.
g. Aggressive skate park update. Two separate groups have made proposals to put an
indoor skating facility behind the Dance Shoppe on Fernbrook Lane. One party has since
withdrawn their proposal. At the same time Director Blank is working with a group on an
outdoor site plan. One of the alternatives will be to wait and see what happens with this
indoor plan. Several cities are considering a joint regional facility affiliated with the
Northwest Y. The ice arena is busy night and day. The first official high school game is
this Saturday. Both high schoolboys teams are now practicing there. Youth hockey
games start soon. The City gets 30% of the revenue from the pop and candy machines in
the lobby. Commissioner Thompson asked if both rinks will be ice year round, or if one of
the rinks could be used for something else next summer. Director Blank said right now it
looks like ice will remain on both rinks year round. The boards will come down
temporarily on the Olympic rink for some special maintenance to get rid of mysterious
brown rings showing up on the ice.
6. NEW BUSINESS
a. Northwest Plymouth planning consultant. Alan Brixius of Northwest Associated
Consultants was present to interview commissioners . He stated that the interviews are
intended to get perceptions and feelings about what should be in the comprehensive plan
through the year 2020, such as land uses, identity perspective, image perspective, etc.. So
far he has talked with Corcoran and Maple Grove. He has met with the Planning
Commission and later tonight he will meet with the Environmental Quality Committee.
Chair Anderson said PRAC has not spent a lot of time talking about northwest Plymouth.
Mr. Brixius asked what type of growth, if any, should be taking place in northwest
Plymouth. He stated that no meetings have been scheduled yet with developers. Mr.
Brixius has not formed any strategy to date and is still getting feedback. He will do an
inventory of ownership patterns, lot size constraints, etc. Based on a survey that was
recently done of property owners in northwest Plymouth, it appears that those who own
larger tracts of land were more interested in development. Planning Commissioner
Berkowitz asked how the city goes about acquiring land for parks. Director Blank
explained park dedication and said in 1980 when the first comprehensive plan was done,
the entire city was divided into 50 walking neighborhoods, with the idea that each of these
neighborhoods would have a park. Mr. Brixius asked about the desire for future trails in
this area. Commissioner Willegalle wants to see a continuous trail system and would like
them to be off-road. Commissioner Wahl said that Elm Creek is a unique feature of this
area and should be taken into consideration when planning this part of Plymouth. Director
Blank said we have had excellent response from developers in terms of park dedication
PRAC Minutes/November 1997
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and building trails. Mr. Brixius reviewed what PRAC's thoughts and concerns were: land
uses should give some consideration to new urbanism, Elm Creek preservation, trails,
designated park areas, the golf course issue, and an additional playfield. Planning
Commissioner Berkowitz said a major issue here is where the Elm Creek interceptor is
going to go. One of the options that is going to be explored is a no -growth option. Does
Plymouth need to grow any further? Mr. Brixius thanked the Commission for their time
and input and indicated that he had to be on his way to another meeting beginning at 8
p.m.
7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION
None.
8. STAFF COMM[_]NICATION
Director Blank stated that the December meeting may be canceled.
9. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m.