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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 11-04-1993Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting November 4, 1993 Page 47 Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Burk, Johnson, Wahl and Watson; staff Bisek, Blank and Pederson; Councilman Edson Absent: Commissioners Gutzke and Mikula 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Anderson called the November meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Council Conference Room. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Wahl and seconded by Commissioner Johnson 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. Mary stated that the volunteer coordinator, Nancy Anderson, has now been with the City for six months and during that time, has placed numerous volunteers. Mary indicated that the Autumn Arts Festival was a success, with approximately 1,200 people visiting the various booths, in spite of the very cold and windy weather the day of the festival. Some new programs being offered this winter will be in cooperation with a private business, Triple Play Family Entertainment Center. Evening adult sports leagues and sports instruction, such as golf lessons and batting lessons, as well as daytime fitness and children's classes will be offered. Special events coming up include the Old Fashioned Christmas on December 5 and the Fire and Ice Festival on February 5. Mary stated that she and Karol Greupner, one of our recreation supervisors, are working on a state grant proposal for a cooperative planning project with several community based agencies, including School District 284. The purpose is to coordinate programs for teens in Plymouth. C. Others. Representatives of the Save French Woodlands and Wetlands and residents of the Amberwoods neighborhood were present. Their presentations appear later in the minutes. 4. REPORT ON PAST COUNCIL ACTION No report. PRAC Minutes/November 1993 Page 48 S. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Accessible playground update. Director Blank stated that Mark had attended a workshop on accessible playground guidelines and safety measures, which will be incorporated into our final design. Plans are to go out for bid on this project sometime next March and to start construction in April. The playground should be operational by June 1, 1994. b. 1994-98 CIP discussion - reguest to purchase 24 acres adlacent to French Park. Commissioner Wahl asked about the proposed tennis courts for Plymouth Creek Park in 1994 and the fishing dock for Medicine Lake. Director Blank responded that the intent is for 10 courts altogether, but that they would be constructed in phases, starting with maybe four or six. Funding also includes parking, road, sewer and water. The fishing dock would be similar to the one at Parkers Lake, and could be placed on the west side of the lake or somewhere on the east side. Commissioner Wahl also wondered about the 9th playfield special assessments that appear in the 195 CIP. Director Blank explained that the special assessments are for sewer and water area charges and the upgrade of Peony Lane. Commissioner Burk questioned the status of the trails that were proposed in the 193 CIP that are not going to be completed this year. Will the funds be there to finish them in 1994? Director Blank responded that the funds have been carried over, so that these trails can be completed next year. Discussion then turned to the issue of preserving wetlands. Marlin Sjarda, 11720 38th Avenue, urged the Commission to consider the acquisition of the 24 acres adjacent to French Park. He reminded them that the park and recreation survey results indicated that the second highest priority for recreation facilities, among Plymouth residents, is the preservation of natural areas. He also pointed out that the results of the recent election show support for a more conservative approach to development. Commissioners questioned how they could make an informed decision on acquiring this property when they don't have any idea what its value is. Mr. Sjarda then stated that the Trust for Public Lands would charge $2,000 to do an appraisal of the property, and that the Trust would like the City of Plymouth to pay half that amount. He indicated that the Save French Woodlands Association would like the Park Commission to set aside $1,000 in their CIP for such an appraisal and requested that representatives of the City meet with representatives of Hennepin Parks and the Trust for Public Land. Councilman Edson voiced some concern over involving the Trust for Public Land by pointing out that they make their money by negotiating a good deal and _ then keeping the difference for themselves. He stated that the City already has qualified real estate PRAC Minutes/November 1993 Page 49 appraisers and doesn't necessarily need the services of the Trust for Public Land for appraisal purposes. Chair Anderson then asked the commissioners if they wanted to set aside funds in the CIP for the purchase of natural areas, and if so, what amount? Commissioner Burk responded that the decision to set aside monies for natural areas wasn't any different than setting money aside to acquire a playfield. It's just called something else. Councilman Edson was asked what would happen if the Commission did not propose any funds in the CIP and then later wanted to acquire some property. Councilman Edson responded that the Council has a policy that if an acquisition is proposed over a certain dollar amount and there are no funds defined in the CIP for that acquisition, at least two public hearings would have to be held. Commissioner Wahl then questioned if PRAC needed to act on this issue after all. Director Blank stated that he thought it would be wise for PRAC to let the Council know how they felt about acquiring natural areas by assigning some funds in the CIP. Commissioner Johnson stated that he was against using park dedication money to acquire wetlands and was more comfortable proposing community improvement funds for this purpose. Other commissioners agreed that park dedication funds would not be appropriate. Commissioner Burk asked how much money had been spent to acquire the Kids for Saving Earth property. Two parcels were acquired there for 198,000 and $60,000 according to Director Blank. Commissioners then agreed that it was appropriate to set aside some funds for purchasing natural areas, but they wondered what amount. Commissioner Wahl suggested 250,000. Other commissioners concurred that this was probably a reasonable amount. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER WATSON AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER WAHL TO ASSIGN $250,000 IN THE 1994 CIP FOR THE PURPOSE OF ACQUIRING NATURAL AREAS. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. Chair Anderson then asked for any other presentations before PRAC moved forward with approving the Parks CIP. Pat McDonald, 18625 33rd Place, announced that he represented the Amberwoods neighborhood, which is north of County Road 24 and west of 101. They are proposing that the City accept the donation of their private park as public park and take over the maintenance and improvements. They have the oldest private park in the City, and it is in need of upgrading. He explained that they have some funds in their treasury, but not enough to fix up the playground, or to bring it up to code. He went on to explain that four new developments have been built around Amberwoods, and that there are over 300 children living in the area now. He also stated that although they realize Greenwood Elementary School has PRAC Minutes/November 1993. Page 50 been designated as their park in the Park System Plan, the school officials will not allow use of their playground when school is in session for reasons of liability. Another drawback to the playground at Greenwood is it's designed for older kids, not toddlers. He stated that the homeowners association has been trying to solicit the needed funds from the residents to upgrade the park, and that they need about $28,000 based on estimates they have gotten. Part of the problem in getting more money is that this park is accessible to. more than just Amberwoods residents. They aren't feeling too generous about putting money into their private park, when so many others from outside their neighborhood can use it. This is why they want the City to take it over and make it a public park. Director Blank stated that this could be the first of many requests like this, because there are numerous developments throughout Plymouth that have private parks. Commissioner Burk commented that this was an interesting situation, and he personally felt it should be looked into. He also stated that he would go tour the site. It was agreed by the rest of PRAC that the park should be visited and the proposal considered. Director Blank stated that he would have a cost estimate prepared on upgrading the park and what on-going maintenance would cost if the City were to accept the park. Commissioner Wahl asked Mr. McDonald if the homeowners association would be willing to bear the cost of resurfacing the tennis courts, if the City did go ahead and take over the rest of the park. Mr. McDonald stated that he would have to ask the rest of the membership, but he felt fairly confident that they would accept those terms. Chair Anderson then asked for a motion regarding the CIP. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER BURK AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER WAHL TO APPROVE THE 1994-98 CIP AS PRESENTED BY STAFF WITH THE AMENDMENT IN 1994 FOR THE ACQUISITION OF NATURAL AREAS. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. C. West Medicine Lake Park master plan update. Director Blank announced that a second meeting to study park designs is set for November 9. There will probably be six or more concepts to consider, with three different road alignments. The most pressing issue at this point is the alignment of the road. Based on the opinions expressed at the first design meeting, it was decided to eliminate from all concepts a proposed marina. There has been some concern expressed regarding ways to slow down traffic through the park. One suggestion commissioners had was to design a somewhat winding road, similar to PRAC Minutes/November 1993 Page 51 Theodore Wirth Parkway, and looking into posting a speed limit of 25 mph. Director Blank indicated that the state establishes speed limits on most roads, but it may be possible for the City to establish a speed limit when a road goes through a City park. He said he would look into this. Commissioner Johnson commented that he had been told that residents want several stop signs along the road as a way to slow traffic. Director Blank responded that this doesn't always work the way people think it will. Often drivers get angry about having to stop so often that in between stop signs, they exceed the speed limit to make up for time they feel they've lost. Commissioner Wahl said he thought the first design meeting had gone fairly well, but that some of those attending gave the impression the park should be designed their way. Director Blank responded that he would make a statement at the beginning of the public meeting stressing that this park is for all the citizens of Plymouth to enjoy and use. d. Study of unique open spaces update. This item will be reviewed in the months ahead. Any site survey work will be done next April and May. NEW BUSINESS a. Request for City to take over Amberwoods Park. See item 5b. b. Letter reaardina trail along East Medicine Lake Blvd. Director Blank distributed copies of a letter/petition he had received that had been signed by 14 families urging the City to coordinate with Hennepin Parks to get the trail completed along East Medicine Lake Boulevard from 36th Avenue south to Harty's Boat Rental. Director Blank responded that Hennepin Parks needs to acquire four private properties along the road there before the trail can go through. He stated that Hennepin Parks is communicating with the effected property owners and is trying to work out the details for purchasing their homes. COMMISSION PRESENTATION Commissioner Wahl commented that he wants to know where Hennepin Parks stands on the issue of jointly acquiring the property that is adjacent to French Park and could a meeting with them be arranged. Director Blank responded that Hennepin Parks has assigned two members from their Board of Directors to attend such a meeting if one is scheduled. Commissioner Burk agreed that a meeting with the interested groups was a good idea, although he personally does. not favor purchasing this particular 24 acre parcel. He also stated that he doesn't think the City should get involved with the Trust for Public Land in appraising the site. PRAC Minutes/November 1993 Page 52 Commissioners asked Director Blank about arranging a meeting with Hennepin Parks, and Director Blank stated that the procedure to follow would be to request that the City Council ask the City Manager to set up such a meeting. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER WAHL AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER WATSON TO REQUEST THAT THE CITY COUNCIL ASK THE CITY MANAGER TO ARRANGE A MEETING WITH HENNEPIN PARKS REGARDING THE FRENCH WETLANDS ISSUE. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. 8. STAFF COMMUNICATION The next meeting is scheduled for December 2, because the 9th is a holiday. Issues on the agenda could include the French wetlands, the Amberwoods park request, and the design for West Medicine Lake city park. 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m.