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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 01-14-1993Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting January 14, 1993 Page 1 Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Burk, Gutzke, Johnson, Waage, Wahl, Watson; staff Blank, Pederson and Peterson, Councilmembers Edson and Tierney 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Anderson called the January meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Council Conference Room. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Gutzke and seconded by Commissioner Burk to approve the minutes of the December meeting as presented. The motion carried with all ayes. 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Athletic Associations. None were present. b. Staff. Superintendent of Parks, Mark Peterson, was present and gave a brief overview of the types of maintenance done by park crews during the winter skating season. There are three classifications of skating rinks: hockey/general rinks with warming houses, neighborhood park rinks without warming houses, and neighborhood ponds. Because hockey and general rinks with warming houses are used the most, these rinks get first priority for care. Second and third priority goes to neighborhood rinks without warming houses and ponds, with the exception of Parkers and Zachary, which is included in the first priority. There are also three modes of maintenance for the various types of rinks. Rinks with the highest usage and having organized activities, such as hockey practice or skating lessons, receive Mode I maintenance. This generally consists of sweeping, shoveling, and flooding at least five days per week, with base ice established at a depth of four to six inches, and routine ice shaving to create a uniformly smooth surface. Mode II maintenance is done on neighborhood rinks without warming houses and consists of establishing base ice at a depth of three to five inches, snow removal and flooding three to five times per week, and shaving the ice periodically. Mode III maintenance consists of snow removal and flooding as priorities allow. It should be noted that no maintenance occurs on any pond until the ice is thick enough to support maintenance equipment, and this is normally around the first of January. PRAC Minutes January 1993 Page 2 Park crews are also responsible for snow removal on our City's trails. Mark stated that snow removal on rinks occurs after all trails have been plowed. Miles of trails maintained in the winter have increased from 19 to 37. Mark also shared some information regarding the 1993 Arbor Day celebration. In an attempt to seek donations, a letter is being sent to all Plymouth companies who do business in the field of energy conservation, asking for contributions to purchase trees and shrubs. The theme of this year's Arbor Day celebration is "Planting for Energy Conservation in the North." Grant applications have also been submitted to several organizations to help fund this project as well. 4. REPORT ON PAST COUNCIL ACTION Council approved the 1993-97 CIP. Council approved the 1993 City operating budget. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Focus groups and surveys update. Director Blank stated that a Request for Proposal had been sent out to four local firms asking them to respond by the end of January. The City Council has requested that the survey instrument specify that no project is contemplated at this time and that it is for planning purposes only. It should also specify that any project eventually approved could have tax impacts. Council also requested clarification about the purpose of the survey. Councilman Edson indicated that the Council is concerned about the impression such a survey might give to the residents. Caution must be exercised when developing questions, so as to not give residents the impression that something of major size is going to be constructed. Because of this concern, the Council may request a joint meeting with the Park Commission prior to the questions being finalized. b. Amendment to park plan - playfield site selection update. At the February meeting, the parks component of the comprehensive plan may be amended to remove a previously identified playfield site and replace it with another location. This will be the ninth playfield in the comprehensive plan. Discuss 1993 capital projects. When Council approved the 1993 CIP, they removed from the parks section the Zachary parking lot and a neighborhood park. Director Blank indicated to the Commission that they could add these items back in if they so desired for 1994. The items that remain in the CIP for this year include trail PRAC Minutes January 1993 Page 3 improvements, playfield land acquisition, handicapped accessible playground in Plymouth Creek Park, and the South Shore landscaping project. Director Blank stated that based on the trail report prepared by Strgar-Roscoe- Fausch, he will not be recommending construction of a trail along Ridgemount Avenue at this time, because traffic conditions do not warrant it. He further stated that the City of Minnetonka is not prepared to help fund such a project until they upgrade Ridgemount Avenue, which isn't proposed for another five years. If Plymouth were to build a trail now, it would cost the City about 170,000, and Director Blank feels that money could be more wisely spent on other trails that have a higher priority. Director Blank asked for some direction from commissioners on which trails to construct in 1993. Commissioner Wahl recommended a trail along County Road 47, leading from the Camelot area over to Pineview Lane, so these residents could have safer access to the Bass Lake Playfield. Commissioner Burk recommended filling in trails that have gaps in order to connect trails that now end abruptly and seem to lead nowhere. Commissioner Gutzke agreed that trail connections need to be made. Director Blank stated that there are federal transportation funds available for the construction of bike trails. He has submitted a grant application to fund the completion of a trail south along County Road 61 to the park and ride lot at the northwest intersection of County Road 61 and I-394. Commissioners suggested that staff prepare a list of trails to construct in 1993, along with cost estimates, in time for their February meeting. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Review proposed 1993 rental rates. Commissioners received in their packets copies of the proposed rental rates and policies for the Parkers Lake Pavilion and athletic facilities for 1993. Changes recommended in the Pavilion policy included increasing rates for the school districts from $7.50 per hour to $8, Plymouth non-profit groups from $17 to $18 per hour, Plymouth resident groups from $28 to $30 per hour, and adding a new category for non-resident groups at $36 per hour. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER GUTZKE AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER WAHL TO RECOMMEND COUNCIL APPROVAL OF THE PARKERS LAKE PAVILION RENTAL POLICY AND FEES AS SUGGESTED BY STAFF. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. Athletic facility rentals brought in over $9,000 in revenue in 1992. Of this total, approximately $4,500 came from groups renting the Zachary fields for softball tournaments, and $3,500 from soccer tournaments. Changes proposed in the athletic facilities policy included PRAC Minutes January 1993 Page 4 removing a statement requiring adult groups to put bases out and put soccer nets up. These tasks are now performed by our staff at the beginning of the season and remain in place through the entire summer. From the fee schedule, the $300 per day fee to rent the entire Zachary complex was deleted, because it was decided that more revenue could be generated by renting each field on a per hour or per day basis. It was also decided to add a fee of $10 per bag for diamond dry. Groups will now be charged a $10 service fee if they cancel an event due to severe weather. In the past, all of their fees were refunded with no service charge being deducted. It has been recommended that the field attendant fee be increased from $8 to $8.50 per hour. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER WAHL AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER WATSON TO RECOMMEND COUNCIL APPROVAL OF THE 1993 ATHLETIC FACILITIES RENTAL POLICY AND FEE SCHEDULE. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. b. Review draft of 1992 annual report. Director Blank briefly reviewed the pages of the draft 1992 annual report, pointing out that the goals and objectives should be carefully reviewed by the commissioners for any additions or deletions. Commissioner Gutzke indicated that his phone number is incorrect on the page that lists commissioners' names and addresses. It was suggested that a copy of the parks CIP be included as an appendix to the annual report, with a statement clarifying that it is a "plan" and as such, has some flexibility. It was also recommended that a sentence, in Item 7 of the Goals and Objectives, regarding citizen involvement in planning a community center, be stricken from that particular goal. Commissioners were invited to make other deletions or additions between now and the February meeting by calling them in to the park and recreation office. Final copies of the annual report will be distributed at the February meeting. C. Review 1993 meeting dates. Meetings in 1993 are scheduled for the second Thursday of the month, with the exception of November and December, which will be the first Thursday of the month, due to holidays falling on November 11 (Veterans Day) and December 9 (Hanukkah). 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION Commissioners and staff collectively thanked Commissioner Waage for all her hard work and dedication during the past three years. This evening was her last meeting, due to a family move out of state. Commissioner Johnson asked about the sale of concessions at the Parkers Lake Pavilion during the skating season. Director Blank responded that there is a pop machine in the PRAC Minutes January 1993 Page 5 building, but that other concessions such as hotdogs and candy bars, etc., were no longer being sold as they once were, because the City lost money doing so. 8. STAFF COMMUNICATION A sign-up sheet was distributed during the meeting inviting Commissioners to pick a time slot for supervising the bonfire at the Fire and Ice Festival and helping with the sale of s'mores. Director Blank indicated that a new commissioner could be named at the January 25 Council meeting. Councilmember Tierney asked if athletic association representatives were invited to PRAC meetings. She stated that she had heard from them again regarding inadequate storage facilities at Oakwood Playfield. Director Blank responded that they have an open invitation to attend all of the PRAC meetings, and they are always placed on the agenda. 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.