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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 06-11-20151 Approved Minutes June 11, 2015 Approved Minutes Park & Recreation Advisory Commission Thursday, June 11, 2015 MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Merrilee Riley, Vice Chair Kipp Wyse, Commissioners: Greg Anderson, Dick Burkhardt, Tricia DeBleeckere, Michael Swanson, Aaron Vanderwall MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: Parks & Recreation Director Diane Evans, Deputy Parks Director Barb Northway, Plymouth Creek Center Manager Susan Muelken, Rental Coordinator Angie Dehn, Project Coordinator Sonya Rippe, Office Support Specialist Sarah Josephs, Plymouth Creek Center Intern Joel Zinski COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES: Council Representative Ned Carroll, Planning Commissioner Bryan Oakley 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Riley called the meeting to order at 6:59 p.m. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Commissioner DeBleeckere, seconded by Commissioner Riley, recommending approval of the February 12, 2015 Park and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting minutes as written, with changes as discussed. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. 3. OPEN FORUM: There were not any members of the public present for Open Forum. 4. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS (NON-ACTION ITEMS): 4a. Staff Presentation – PCC/Fieldhouse Staff – Susan Muelken & Angie Dehn Susan Muelken introduced the Plymouth Creek Center’s Summer Inter, Joel Zinski. Joel is a Parks, Recreation and Leisure student at the University of Minnesota. He will be based primarily at the PCC while helping with field rentals, program registrations, Music in Plymouth, Veterans Memorial Grand Opening, and the Dog Park naming contest. Staff are looking to name the small dog parks located at both Plymouth Playfield and Oakwood Playfield. Members of the public can submit names to be considered for each dog park. Staff will vote for their favorites from names submitted. The contest is being promoted through the City’s Facebook page, ads on Twitter, a press release this week, and announcements at Entertainment in the Parks. Entries can be submitted via the City's Facebook page. By running this contest, staff are hoping to publicize and make residents aware of the two smaller dog parks. 4b. Staff Introduction – Sonya Rippe, Project Coordinator Sonya comes to Plymouth after working 18 years with the City of Eagan’s Parks and Recreation Department. Ms. Rippe will be coordinating park assets, CIP projects, park signs, TruGreen and lawn mowing contracts, and yard waste site efficiencies. Since starting, Sonya has already increased the use of technology and deployed the Canvas app at the Yard Waste Site and with the Park Patrol. This app can be custom set up to record a variety of information; vandalism, equipment needing repair, visitors to the waste site, as well as, what visitors are bringing into the waste site. 2 Approved Minutes June 11, 2015 5. NEW BUSINESS (ACTION ITEMS) 5a. Naming of New Park – Tombers Property (Action) New land has been purchased to the west of the Plymouth Dog Park; just south of County Road 47. The Tombers family sold their 28 acres that had been primarily used as agricultural land. This site has the potential to be developed as a park or a playfield. In addition to serving the neighbors in northwest Plymouth, this property will have trail connections to the new Wayzata School District Elementary School, Wayzata High School, Maple Grove, and the Northwest Greenway. The site is currently referred to as “the Tombers property”, but staff would like to designate an official name. Staff discussed a number of names and narrowed down their favorites to; Country View Park, Pioneer Park, and Aspen Acres. Staff are open to any other name suggestions from PRAC. A final name recommendation would go to the City Council at the June 23 meeting for approval. Chair Riley inquired if there would be a value in waiting until we know the name of the neighboring school before selecting a name for the park. Deputy Director Northway shared that many times a park is given a similar name to that of the neighboring school, but often that causes confusion for visitors. Staff would prefer to have a name independent of the name of the school. Commissioner DeBleeckere asked when the Wayzata School District will be announcing the name of the new elementary school. Deputy Director stated that the District is in the process of finalizing a name from their list of submitted options. Director Evans shared with Commissioners that we can certainly postpone naming the park until after the school’s name is released. Delaying the naming will have no negative effects on the park’s development. Chair Riley queried why “Greenway” wasn’t incorporated into any of the options; since it will be located within the Northwest Greenway. Director Evans shared that since we already have the Northwest Greenway and Legacy Greenway Park, staff didn’t want to confuse residents by adding another site with Greenway in its name. Commissioner Swanson inquired as to the construction status of the school being built. Deputy Director Northway responded that the Wayzata School District is working on earthwork now, but plan to be completed and open by fall of 2015. Director Evans included that the Wayzata School District just finalized their school boundary lines, so naming of the new school should be next on their agenda. Motion by Commissioner DeBleeckere, seconded by Commissioner Swanson, recommending to delay naming the future park until we know the name of the elementary school. With 6 ayes and 1 nay, motion passed. 5b. Approve 2016-2020 CIP (Action) Staff are currently in the middle of finalizing the City’s biannual budget. The projects shown in your packets represent the projects scheduled for 2016-2020. The Northwest Greenway pedestrian bridge project has been moved back to 2016 in order to coincide with the Vicksburg Ln street work. The Fieldhouse dome is scheduled to be replaced. The facility was built in 2000. Currently the dome is beginning to thin and show some signs of wear. Other considerations are being discussed for the Fieldhouse. Staff are looking into ways to be more energy efficient and possibly switch to LED lighting. The concern would be to make sure it is still bright enough to play. Staff have also considered if the dome should be replaced with a permanent hard structure. Additional doors would have to be added, as well as an HVAC system. The University of Minnesota has a similar structure to the Fieldhouse that staff can research. 3 Approved Minutes June 11, 2015 The Parks and Recreation Department has been approached by the Zakkary Johnson Foundation to establish a universally designed playground at Zachary Playfield. A universally designed playground is accessible for all abilities; these parks are created to be friendly to those with autism, who are blind, or are in a wheelchair. The Foundation would like to build a playground and a Miracle Field, allowing those in wheelchairs to play a baseball game on the field. They are willing to donate 1,000,000 towards the project. The project has a potential start date in 2016, with plans to be complete by 2017. SRF has been hired by the City to see if the project is feasible. A new trend in parks is to add a Pump Park track. Deputy Director Northway explained that these tracks use momentum of the riders on the banks and hills to keep them moving along the track. The track could be used by bikers, skateboarders, and scooters, but does not require them to have to pedal. Currently there are not many in the nation, and Plymouth Parks & Rec would like to be on the leading edge of the trend. Vice Chair Wyse inquired as to the size of this track. Deputy Director Northway answered that the track is about the size of a tennis court, or outdoor hockey rink. Commissioner Swanson asked what the track is made of. Deputy Director Northway answered that it is made of Marine Grade lumber. There are bikes made specifically for these pump parks, but any bike, skateboard or scooter could be used. The Plymouth Ice Center has several large renovations scheduled in the coming years. The City has applied for state bonding money to assist with the nearly $4 million in improvements needed. Vice Chair Wyse inquired about a parking lot renovation update. Director Evans said that the project is moving ahead and has a bid opening scheduled for June 29. The City Council will review the bids at their July 28 Council meeting. Vice Chair Wyse further asked if the project design had changed any since last discussed. Director Evans shared that the plan had changed slightly, but will still net in 96 additional parking spots. Chair Riley inquired if that is why the Farmers Market was moved to a new location this year. Director Evans answered that yes, due to potential construction at the PIC, the decision was made to move the Market to Parkers Lake Playfield. Motion by Commissioner Anderson, seconded by Commissioner Burkhardt, recommending to approve the 2016-2020 CIP as written. With no objection, motion passed. 5c. PCC Fees and Policies (Action) Currently the Plymouth Creek Center reserves their Ballroom on a six hour time block for the event, and allow for a three hour block for set up and decorating. While there may be a break of several hours in between, no other groups are able to reserve the Ballroom during that break. Many rental groups reserve additional hours so that they can have the room available all day. Feedback from event renters is that they dislike have the additional hourly fee when the room would be unable to be used by other groups. Staff are proposing to increase the Ballroom rental rate by $75 and open the rental to an entire day. The $75 is expected to cover the revenue that groups previously paid to have the room additional hours. Over the years, the additional hour revenue has varied, but staff feel this will be more customer friendly to offer one price for the whole day. Rentals within the Millennium Garden have seen a decrease in Friday and Sunday rentals. Staff are recommending to lower the rental fees for Friday and Sundays to match the price structure of the Ballroom. By lowering the cost, staff are anticipating this will bring in new parties and events that would like the garden on an off day, or for a price more conducive to their budget. Commissioner DeBleeckere inquired to the length of time a garden rental is. Rental Coordinator Dehn responded that there are two, three hour time blocks parties can choose from; 11 -2pm or 3-6pm. The cost of the garden rental also includes the use of the outdoor sound system. 4 Approved Minutes June 11, 2015 Chair Riley asked about methods for following up with groups who tour the site, but do not end up booking either the Ballroom or Millennium Garden. Rental Coordinator Dehn replied that most people express interest in the building over the phone. Those that place a tentative hold on a room typically end up reserving the room. Some groups choose not to rent a space because of the catering agreement; parties either want a specific outside caterer, or to offer a pot luck. Staff are looking into new ways to market off-days (Friday and Sunday) for wedding rentals. Chair Riley followed up by asking if there was a trend detected as to why Garden rentals are going down; was it specifically cost of our site versus competitors. Rental Coordinator Dehn answered that our Millennium Garden is a hard facility to compare to others in the area as many of them are privately run or are extremely expensive. Staff are working on ways to better promote the presence of the Garden as many visitors do not know that it is even there. There has also been an increase in the number of outdoor wedding venues such as barns. Commissioner Swanson asked how most visitors find out about the Plymouth Creek Center and Millennium Gardens. Rental Coordinator Dehn replied that many people find out via searching Google for venues in the area, or because either themselves or friends have attending a wedding here. There is a Wedding Expo hosted twice a year onsite which also increases awareness of the site. Commissioner Swanson followed up by asking how many more wedding bookings are anticipated in 2015. Rental Coordinator Dehn replied that there may be only one more booking made for this year. Councilmember Carroll suggested reducing the corporation rates in an effort to draw in more businesses. Rental Coordinator Dehn stated that corporations rarely rent the facility of Fridays or Sundays, but it could be considered. Director Evans added that they would love to bring in more businesses having meetings and events onsite. Councilmember Carroll asked what type of marketing staff were using. Rental Coordinator Dehn answered that the Plymouth Creek Center runs an advertisement in Lavender Magazines, as well as posts information and photos on the city website. Staff also rely on word of mouth promotion from those whom have visited before. Commissioner Swanson inquired as to the budget impact of the price change. Rental Coordinator Dehn stated that there should not be a change in the budget. The revenue should stay right around the same by increasing the cost by $75, and removing the hourly rental fees. Motion by Commissioner Vanderwall, seconded by Commissioner Burkhardt, recommending to approve the PCC Fees and Policies as presented. With no objection, motion passed. 5d. Park Tour (Non-Action) Director Evans will be hosting a park tour this summer if Commissioners so desire. We will first need to secure a date where the majority of Commissioners are available before reserving a bus. We are suggesting to pick a date in August as there is not a Commission meeting that month. Dates to choose from would be August 6, August 14, August 20, and August 27. Planning Commissioner Oakley inquired as to what is involved with the tour. Director Evans shared that the group would take the bus around Plymouth and view various parks and projects that have been completed recently. Most of the tour would be spent on the bus, but there would be a few times to get off and review the parks. After a vote, the majority of people were found to be available on August 20. 6. COMMISSIONER/STAFF UPDATE (NON-ACTION ITEMS): Creek Center Manager Muelken shared with the Commission that the Plymouth Creek Center went through a RFP process last year, resulting in the choosing of five exclusive caterers for the site. Next week staff will be meeting with each catering company to discuss either renewing their contract, or any changes/concerns that need to be addressed. Councilmember Carroll inquired as to what types of 5 Approved Minutes June 11, 2015 concerns have been experienced. Rental Coordinator Dehn answered that there tends to be a large turn over in staffing at catering companies, making it hard for rentals to get a hold of the contacts at each company. Some caterers have repeatedly not turned in their monthly rebates in time either. The Plymouth Creek Center is working on creating a vision for its future. Staff are wanting to make sure that the building continues to be a viable, fresh place for classes and events. While staff are not planning on renovating the building, some refreshing and expanding could help add on additional classroom and event space. So far staff have added window tints to the multi-functional rooms, updated the sound system in the Ballroom and Black Box Theater, and are continuing to work to make it in nice condition. Staff would like to add more advanced AV features and make those available to rental groups. Chair Riley inquired as to if a study was done when the PCC was built to see what the expected lifespan was, and when upgrades would be needed. Director Evans explained that a plan wasn’t done initially, but an asset management plan was developed in the years since opening. The Plymouth Creek Center has several large projects scheduled. The HVAC and boilers will need replacement, as well as cement work, new railings, and updates to the parking lot. In 2009-2010 the Parks and Recreation Department had plans to add a facility at West Medicine Lake Park. The building was going to have different sizes of multi-purpose rooms for programs to be offered in. Since the building of this project did not get approved, discussion has been had about expanding the Plymouth Creek Center to add on those needed classrooms. Chair Riley asked if there were consultants available that have worked on this type of project before, and what would this type of review cost. Director Evans shared that the City of St Louis Park recently hired a consultant to review their facility at the cost of $50,000. Commissioner Burkhardt shared that having a study done of different possible concepts would be extremely valuable. He sees many people using the facility while serving as a volunteer and would like to keep the people happy and active. Director Evans added that staff would like the feasibility study to show us where space could be added, what sized rooms could be included and how many additional rooms would be possible. Currently the classrooms are maxed out with Recreation programs scheduled onsite. Staff have had to turn down class ideas due to lack of space to hold the class. Creek Center Manager Muelken shared with the Commission that the turf at the Fieldhouse has been having some issues as of recent. The turf was originally put in in 2012. Staff were concerned with some shredding that was taking place shortly after. Staff contacted the manufacturer several times and were assured that this type of shredding was normal. After several calls, the company came out and looked at the site. At this time turf was coming out in handfuls. Since our turf had an 8 year warranty, we are able to get new turf to replace the defective turf. A soil study was done to see if the soil fill was causing the turf to react this way. The plan calls for ripping out the current turf, putting down a mesh fiber layer, then the new turf on top of that. If this new method does not have successful results, we still have a warranty on the product and can have it replaced again. The Grand Opening for the Veterans Memorial Wall will be held on June 29. Invitations have been sent to Council members, Commissioners, as well as those having their name engraved. The site itself is about 99% complete at this time. The City will be hosting a second Live at the Hilde event this year. Sue McLean & Associates have schedule the event for August 21. Headliners for this year’s show are Big Head Todd & the Monsters. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.suemclean.com/hilde. Music in Plymouth is coming up quickly. The Music in Plymouth Fun Run will be held on June 27 and the event will be held on July 1. Construction at Hemlock Park, Circle Park, and Ridgemount Playfield is complete. The tennis courts at Bass Lake Playfield are still in progress. Beginning in July, work will commence on the Northwest Greenway. The new Prairie Ponds Park on Dunkirk Lane has proven to be quite popular and has been getting lots of use. Residents in that immediate area have made a request to put up “No Parking” signs on either side of Dunkirk Lane due to heavy traffic volume. The City Council reviewed the requests last Tuesday and have tabled the discussion until their next meeting. A letter was sent to residents near Prairie Ponds Park letting them know that this topic will be discussed and encouraged them to share their feedback. 6 Approved Minutes June 11, 2015 Commissioner Anderson queried as to how much of the trail along the northern end of Cheshire Lane will be completed and when it is expected to open. Director Evans replied that the trail will run along Cheshire Lane up to County Road 47 and open at the same time that the street opens up. The trail itself is owned by Trillium Woods. Vice Chair Wyse asked about the status of hosting the Breakaway Academy at the Plymouth Ice Center. Director Evans answered that the charter school is still interested in setting up their school at the Ice Center. Breakaway Academy is looking to have a designated classroom space that is not shared with other groups. They are currently negotiating with State Farm, across the street from the arena, to lease a classroom space at that site and schedule their ice time at the PIC. Commissioner Swanson inquired how many people applied to have a Veteran’s name engraved on the Memorial Wall. Director Evans responded that there will be 140 names included on this first engraving in June. The application process has become very interesting in regard to hearing the stories each Veteran brings with them. The largest challenge staff face is making sure the discharge documentation is either the original document, or a certified copy. 7. ADJOURNMENT Chair Riley adjourned the meeting at 8:36pm and commenced a tour of the Plymouth Creek Center.