HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 11-12-1992Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting
November 12, 1992
Page 45
Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Johnson, Wahl, Waage,
Gutzke; staff Bisek, Blank, Busch and Pederson;
Councilman Edson
Absent: Commissioners Watson and Burk
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Anderson called the November meeting to order at 7
p.m. in the Council Chambers.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion was made by Commissioner Gutzke and seconded by
Commissioner Wahl to approve the minutes of the September
meeting as presented. The motion carried with all ayes.
3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS
a. Athletic Associations. None were present.
b. Staff. Mary stated that staff is busy working on
programs for January, February and March, which will be
in the January issue of Plymouth News. If commissioners
have any ideas for programs, Mary will need that
information by November 23.
Several programs are currently being conducted at the new
Bass Lake playfield shelter building. Participants seem
to be pleased that we are offering activities at this
location.
Special events to look forward to include Old Fashioned
Christmas on Sunday, December 6, cosponsored by the
Plymouth Historical Society, and the Fire and Ice
Festival on Saturday, February 6, cosponsored by the
Plymouth Civic League. As in past years, Mary asked the
Commissioners for their assistance with the bonfire and
s'mores during Fire and Ice. She stated that the theme
being considered for the 1993 Fire and Ice Festival is
country -western. Fire and Ice bandanas may be sold as a
fundraiser. A country western deejay may be asked to MC,
and line dancing on the ice during the time before the
fireworks starts is being considered.
A couple of new programs being researched for the summer
of 1993 include a safety camp offered for 3rd and 4th
graders and an art fair at Parkers Lake in September.
The safety camp would be instructed by members of our
police department and would cover things such as
animal/pet safety, bicycle safety, etc. The art fair
would feature local artists and would offer children an
opportunity for hands-on art activities during the fair.
PRAC Minutes/November 1992
Page 46
4. REPORT ON PAST COUNCIL ACTION
a. The Comprehensive Trail Plan amendment was approved by
Council and forwarded to the Metro Council. New maps of
the plan will be printed and available for public
distribution once Metro Council approval is granted.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Volunteer coordinator report from subcommittee. A report
prepared by the subcommittee was reviewed by PRAC and
will be forwarded to the City Council. The report lists
other municipalities/agencies that have volunteer
coordinators, the possible pro's and con's, the savings
that are possible, and the costsassociated with hiring a
volunteer coordinator. Director Blank stated that at a
recent Council meeting, he learned that $15,000 has been
proposed in the 193 budget for such a position.
Councilman Edson stated it was his general opinion that
the Council is favorable toward the hiring of a volunteer
coordinator. He further indicated it is the Council's
desire that the Park Commission be the body to redefine
the job description, although this individual may not
necessarily report to the Park and Recreation Department.
A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER WAAGE AND SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER WAHL RECOMMENDING THAT THE COUNCIL REVIEW
THE INFORMATION PREPARED BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE PERTAINING
TO THE HIRING OF A VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR. The motion
carried with all ayes.
b. Park development projects update. The three neighborhood
parks have been satisfactorily completed and were
officially "opened" with the grand opening celebration
conducted at South Shore Park on October 3. The two new
community playfields are being readied for winter by
having their irrigation systems blown out. These two
projects are basically complete, although a punch list is
still being reviewed. The recreation staff is starting
to work on grand opening plans for next spring. The
trail along West Medicine Lake Drive being done by city
crews is mostly complete. A feasibility study is being
done by Strgar-Roscoe-Fausch for the trail along
Ridgemount Avenue. If the City decides to proceed with
building a trail on Ridgemount, there is a possibility
that Minnetonka will get involved in the project.
C. Focus groups and surveys report from subcommittee.
Commissioner Johnson, chair of the subcommittee on focus
groups and surveys, whose members also include
Commissioners Burk, Anderson, Director Blank and
Councilman Edson, stated that the committee had recently
met with representatives from two firms that conduct
surveys. One of the firms is from the University of
PRAC Minutes/November 1992
Page 47
Minnesota, and the other is a private firm based in
Edina. Both agencies recommended that a survey shouldn't
be conducted by including a questionnaire in water bills
or in the city newsletter. They indicated that the
responses may not be scientifically quantifiable. If you
conduct a survey supervised by a professional agency, you
could expect to get back about 400 good responses.
Following that process, focus groups, comprised of
Plymouth residents, would form to discuss any needs that
surfaced as a result of the survey, such as the need for
a swimming pool, ice arena, golf course, etc. It was
also stated by the two agency representatives that the
next couple of months is not a good time to do a survey,
because of the holidays. The subcommittee will meet
again on Thursday, December 3, at 4 p.m., to begin
working on a Request for Proposal to submit to the City
Council. If the survey process is approved by the
Council, the cost could be paid for with park dedication
funds. It is estimated that a survey would cost
approximately $10,000.
d. Acquisition of Ess property at County Road 9 and
Fernbrook Lane. The process to acquire this property
began several months ago, stated Director Blank, when
Larry Liles made a presentation to PRAC, requesting that
they recommend the purchase of 24 acres of land located
northeast of County Road 9 and Fernbrook Lane. At that
time, the owner wanted $10,000 per acre. Because this is
one of the last heavily wooded sites existing in
Plymouth, it was the general consensus of PRAC that this
land should be considered for acquisition, thus they
recommended that the City negotiate with the owner for
the purchase of the property. A city secured appraisal
of the property set the value of the land at $206,000,
and subsequent negotiations resulted in an agreed upon
price of $198,000 spread over three years at 8% interest.
Director Blank also stated that the nationally recognized
Kids for Saving Earth," based in Plymouth, has indicated
an interest in adopting this site as a project for their
organization. They would be involved in the design,
building and maintenance of the park, as well as maybe
doing some fund raising for the park. Funding for this
acquisition would come from park dedication funds. This
project is currently shown in the approved 1992 capital
improvements program at an estimated cost of $250,000.
Councilman Edson asked if park dedication funds were
adequate to buy property all at once, rather than spread
it out over three years. Director Blank stated that the
terms of the purchase agreement were a condition of the
seller.
A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER WAHL AND SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER GUTZKE TO RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL
AUTHORIZE THE ACQUISITION OF THE ESS PROPERTY LOCATED AT
THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF FERNBROOK LANE AND COUNTY ROAD 9.
The motion carried with all ayes.
PRAC Minutes/November 1992
Page 48
6. NEW BUSINESS
a. Adult usage of gym space. Rick Busch, Recreation
Supervisor, has been tracking our use of gym space in
both Districts 281 and 284. Over the past three years,
we have lost 33% in adult usage of available gym space to
youth basketball and youth soccer programs. It has
always been the policy of the Wayzata School District
that first priority for gym space goes to district
sponsored programs for youth in grades K-12, followed by
youth athletic associations, with Plymouth Park and
Recreation sponsored programs for adults being considered
4th priority. According to Rick, we have lost most of
our space in Wayzata schools. We are now down to one
night a week at Wayzata East Junior High for adult
volleyball. In Robbinsdale schools, the situation is
better, because Robbinsdale Community Education permits
us to assign the gym space. There we use Plymouth Middle
School on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights,
and Armstrong High School on Wednesdays. However, Rick
is often asked by youth basketball groups if they can
have our space at Plymouth Middle School, despite the
fact that they have unlimited use of elementary schools
in both Plymouth and New Hope. Commissioner Waage asked
if staff had looked into using Osseo schools. Both Mary
and Rick stated they have talked to Osseo Community
Education but have not had much satisfaction. Mary
learned that space could be made available on a very
limited basis, such as one classroom, but that rent would
be charged. Gym space was almost out of the question.
Commissioner Waage offered to speak to the director of
Osseo Community Education to see if something could be
arranged. When asked if private schools had been
considered, Mary stated that they charge anywhere from
25 to $35 per hour per use.
Another frustration is the fact that youth groups do not
have to make efficient use of the space they are given.
An example of this, as illustrated by Rick, is that youth
basketball may have only 25-30 kids a night using the
gym, playing only one game. When we schedule an adult
league, we put 70-80 adults in that same gym, playing
three or four games in the same amount of time. Director
Blank stated that as a possible compromise, we are
considering scheduling adult activities to immediately
follow youth activities, with the adults then playing
until 11 p.m., or perhaps trying to schedule some leagues
on Saturdays and Sundays. Some of these scheduling
difficulties may be alleviated in the Wayzata School
District, because they may build a new junior or senior
high school in the near future. However, the Osseo and
Robbinsdale schools will not be adding any new
facilities.
PRAC Minutes/November 1992
Page 49
Commissioner Johnson suggested that some sort of adult
lobbying group may need to form. He recommended that
this issue be included in the resident survey.
Councilman Edson stated that if Wayzata builds a new
facility, we should negotiate with them for use of indoor
space, in exchange for maintenance of their outdoor
fields.
Rick stated that demand for our outdoor facilities is
also increasing. The New Hope/Plymouth Athletic
Association has indicated a desire to use the four
softball fields at Zachary Playfield on a Monday through
Friday basis, beginning next summer, which would put an
end to our adult softball league. Rick has decided to
turn over to NHPAA the softball fields at Plymouth Creek
instead, because this site is physically located in
School District 281. Wayzata youth baseball has used
these fields in the past, but they will be shifted over
to the new Parkers Lake fields next summer. The opening
of the Bass Lake site will also take some of the pressure
off the demand for Zachary.
Chair Anderson suggested that this issue be placed on the
Commission's January agenda, because it warrants further
discussion.
Rick announced that the September, October and November
employees of the month were softball umpires Dave Kresa,
Mike Sankey and Ron Mielke.
7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION
Chair Anderson congratulated Director Blank on his selection
as the recipient of the Minnesota Recreation and Park
Association's Distinguished Service Award. This award is
the highest honor that the Association bestows on its
members for long and outstanding service in the field of
park and recreation.
8. STAFF COMMUNICATION
Director Blank indicated that Julie Quarve-Peterson has been
touring our park facilities to determine what things may
need to be done in order to make them handicapped
accessible. She is under contract to do this for all City
buildings. On a volunteer basis, she has stated her
willingness to help with the design of a handicapped
accessible playground at Plymouth Creek Park.
Commissioner Johnson suggested starting a "volunteer of the
month" club, based on the impressive volunteerism apparent
in Plymouth.
9. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. The next meeting is
December 10.