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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 10-19-2000Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting October 19, 2000 Page 39 Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Fiemann, Musliner, Singer, Thompson; Planning Commissioner Neset, staff Blank and Pederson Absent: Commissioners Wahl and Meyer 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Anderson called the October meeting to order at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Singer and seconded by Commissioner Fiemann to approve the minutes of the meeting as presented. The motion carried with all ayes. Commissioner Musliner asked if the Chocolate Sampler becomes an annual event, would it continue to be for the purpose of raising funds for the Millennium Garden? Director Blank said it could be for that project, but other projects could benefit as well. Staff evaluations of the Chocolate Sampler haven't been completed yet. Commissioner Musliner said she thought it was a very fun event. Commissioner Singer said if surveys are sent out asking for the participants' opinions, we should also call the restaurants to see what they thought of the event, and if they would want to be involved again. 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Athletic Associations. None were present at the meeting. b. Staff There were no staff presentations. c. Others. See item 6a. 4. PAST COUNCIL ACTION There was no report on this item. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Plymouth Creek Center update. The Plymouth Creek Center project continues to move along. The golf net is being sewed in place. Sections of the dome are being prepared for putting it back up on Saturday. If it's windy that day, they will inflate it early Sunday morning. Lights will be installed next week. Commissioner Singer asked if any signage has been installed about dogs staying off the artificial turf and warning people that no smoking is allowed. Director Blank said this hasn't been done. He said once the dome is up, this will not be a problem, but before next summer when the dome is down, we will get these signs installed. PRAC Minutes/October 2000 Page 40 b. Millennium Garden update. The Chocolate Sampler was one of the better programs we have ever run said Director Blank. We raised about $3,500 after expenses. We are now over the $50,000 level in our fundraising efforts. We have received good feedback from Toro about MTI providing the irrigation system for the Millennium Garden and from a concrete company about doing some in-kind services as well. We are now trying to find someone to do the earth grading. Director Blank then discussed the Christmas Box Angel program. The Pregnancy and Infant Loss Center came to us asking about the Angel's placement in the garden. He said the Angel might be an issue for some. No one has said anything negative about it yet. The Fine Arts Council is reviewing the proposal as well. We have also asked the Human Rights Commission for their opinion. Commissioner Musliner does not feel that the garden is the right place for this. She thinks it would bring sadness to the garden. She feels the garden should convey a feeling of happiness and joy for people visiting it. She believes the City cemetery would be a more appropriate place. Commissioner Fiemann asked about the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Center and what they do. Director Blank said they are an agency that counsels people through their grief over the loss of a child. Chair Anderson asked for the original intent of the Millennium Garden. What is it supposed to represent? Director Blank said there is no exact definition for it. Director Blank says it's a way to link the past with the fiiture and to have a beautiful garden, and it's a way to blend art with the natural beauty of the area. The garden will become an extension of the building. Director Blank sees it serving a broad purpose. Commissioner Fiemann asked about the wording of the plaque. Director Blank said "Christmas Box Angel" is what they would put on the plaque. Commissioner Singer has very mixed feelings about the statue, too. She wants to table the discussion for now, if possible, and wait to see what the Human Rights Commission has to say. Commissioner Fiemann also has mixed feelings about its placement in the garden. Director Blank suggested having someone from the Infant Loss Center come to a fiiture meeting. c. Comprehensive Plan update. Director Blank stated that in preparation for purchasing more park land, he is going to walls the Begin farm with Judy Begin on Monday morning. d. Hilde Performance Center update. This project is moving forward. Agreements have been accepted by both sides. The Civic League attorney has a couple of questions, however. The formal agreement will be signed and delivered on the Council's agenda. Two firms have been selected as finalists for the architects of the stricture. We're waiting for a report on weather statistics from the day the sound study was done. A company from Plymouth will be the constriction manager. All of the EAW data needs to be collected. The project is still on time for a July 10 groundbreaking. The Hilde's said they would agree to give, at a minimum, $500,000. They were going to cap the limit at 1,000,000, but have now decided there will be no cap on the maximum they would contribute. We have to provide sewer and water and pay for the building permit costs. The main accent color will probably be forest green, which is the color on the roof at Plymouth Creek Center. e. 2001-05 CIP. Director Blank said he may not have revenues to match everything proposed in the CIP. The moratorium on development slowed the growth of the budget. PRAC Minutes/October 2000 Page 41 Director Blank reviewed the CIP year by year. He explained that he had to split the costs on the Old Rockford Road trail between 2001 and 2002. The 36th Avenue trail will be started by the Lunds development and we will continue it. The fourth payment of five on the stage will be made in 2001. He is anticipating $300,000 in cash and in-kind services on the Millennium Garden. He explained the fiinding for the Greenwood sports upgrade. Some things will have to be cut from the project if it actually comes in as high as the estimate. Open space money has been set aside by the Council. We will be acquiring land for a neighborhood park, but the location has not been identified yet. We continue to carry through fiinds for Art in the Park. The park replacement money is matched by the general fund, so there's always a cash infusion going into that fiind. The West Medicine Park building is up in the air. Bathroom costs will be a determining factor. Engineers will be looking at repairing the parking lot at Parkers Lake. The asphalt surface is deteriorating in many places. This money will come out of park replacement. The Parkers Lake playground will be replaced in 2001. The stricture will be featured in a playground magazine, and we could get a $200,000 playground out of the deal. We have staff members that attend playground safety workshops every year. Playgrounds are inspected regularly. Every playground has a cycle for inspection, said Director Blank. The Environmental park is on the west side of 494, south of Schmidt Lake Road, north of County Road 9. We've saved most of the trees along here through park acquisition. The neighborhood here is very long and linear. The sand volleyball court is a carry over item from a previous year. Three scoreboards at Elm Creek Playfield will be installed in 2001. Trail overlay is coming out of park replacement. Director Blank said he wants to keep our trails in tiptop shape. He stated that $165,000 was moved into the Community Improvement Fund from interest earned from the Activity Center. This money may be used for the Hilde Performance Center. $50,000 is the estimate for the skate park, which will be behind the ice center. It will have a temporary fence around it. Kimberly Lane Elementary School wants money for playground improvements. In 2002, the second half of the Rockford Road trail will go in. The Lancaster Lane trail is necessary, because this is a dangerous stretch of road, with very heavy traffic. This will be an off road trail. The last payment on the portable stage will be made. The tennis courts at Oakwood need updating. The posts that support the wind screens aren't strong enough to withstand any more stress. Mud Lake has been in the works for 10 years now. We closed on the house that stands there, and the homeowner is moving into a nursing home this weekend. Director Blank has offered the house to HRA, if they feel its moveable. This property is on the northwest shore of Mud Lake. Director Blank believes this park will be of the same caliber as Three Ponds Park. The views are quite beautiful. Youth baseball requested an upgrade of the Zachary Playfield building. The baseball association will have to help with this. We have locations to build picnic shelters at Zachary and Plymouth Creek Playfields. In 2003, money begins to show up for the 10th playfield. The bridge on 36th Avenue is a joint project with New Hope. There will be more parking lot repairs, especially at Plymouth Creek and Zachary Playfields. Chair Anderson asked about the floating bridge at Medicine Lake. Director Blank said pylons have to be driven into the ground in order to build the bridge. The ground needs to freeze in order for equipment to come in to drive the pylons. Golden Valley is going to pick up the trail and continue it into that city. Eventually, this trail will link up with the Theodore PRAC Minutes/October 2000 Page 42 Wirth trail. In 2004, we start paying back the CIF fiend for loans made in 2003. We continue with general projects such as trails, Art in the Park, transfer to park replacement, land acquisition for the 10th playfield and playground replacement. In 2005, money is being proposed for new tennis courts at Plymouth Creek Center and a spray playground at Plymouth Creek Park, in addition to the general projects. Commissioner Thompson is concerned about the number of park playgrounds that need to be replaced. Should we be planning to do more than one per year? Director Blank says he needs to examine the budget more closely. We can take more fiends from the park replacement fiend if needed. The City Manager would like this year's Council to approve the CIP, rather than handing it off to the new Council. He may want a December decision on the CIP. The Armstrong Baseball coach met with Director Blank about the possibility of the City helping with the cost of lighting the Armstrong baseball field. Director Blank explained that we spent $1.3 million upgrading their gym, and also gave them $35,000 for the upgrade of this baseball field. He stated that we use the field very minimally, and there is little benefit to the public for lighting it. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Consider request to reduce the park dedication fee for development at 36th & Vicksburg. Director Blank explained that North American Properties is developing Plymouth Marketplace, which is located at the corner of Vicksburg Lane and Highway 55, on 25 acres of property. The developer has requested that the City reduce the park dedication fee in recognition of the fact they set aside a conservation easement consisting of 2.73 acres of woods. They paid a park dedication fee of $96,252. Their reduction would be 14,196 based on the square footage of the easement. Jay Scott, representing North American Properties displayed a graphic showing the area set aside as easement. The easement consists of 3.41 acres, of which .68 acres are wetland, which is excluded from park dedication fees. They would like the remaining 2.73 acres exempted from park dedication fees, also. The easement states that no development shall ever take place on this property. The developer feels that they have provided the City with a park or natural open space area by establishing this conservation easement. Director Blank pointed out that no where in the Comprehensive Plan has any portion of this development been identified as open space. Director Blank also explained that the park dedication policy states that a 17% reduction in park dedication fees may be granted if the developer agrees to provide certain on-site amenities to the residents, such as swimming pools, playgrounds, volleyball courts, etc. Commissioner Fiemann asked why the treed area was set aside on the north side of the property. Mr. Scott said the reasons were multipurpose. It will provide a buffer against lighting, noise pollution, traffic, etc. They tried to be accommodating to the Sugar Hills neighborhood. This did not benefit their project, however. Commissioner Fiemann asked how this area will be maintained? Mr. Scott said it will be kept natural. Trash would be collected, downed trees would be removed. Commissioner Singer asked if this easement is for public use? Mr. Scott said they would own the property, but it would be available for the public to enter. However, it would not have any specific marked entrances. Commissioner Fiemann asked if there had been other easements like this? Director Blank said not that he's aware of. Commissioner Singer asked why the city had partnered up with this easement? Director Blank stated that the developer proposed the tree easement in order to provide a buffer between the PRAC Minutes/October 2000 Page 43 development and the homes north of 36th Avenue. The City agreed to this. Commissioner Musliner asked if this is in any way similar to the Ferndale North issue. Director Blank said the decision to declare Ferndale North as open space was a Council resolution. This easement is protected by a legally binding contract. Commissioner Fiemann said that he understood the City had an ordinance stating that trees in excess of 8 inches in diameter were to be saved with any development. Mr. Scott said they preserved in excess of what they were required to. He stated that portions of the development may open in April, 2001. Lunds would open June 1 st. CHAIR ANDERSON MOVED TO ACCEPT STAFF'S RECOMEMNDATION TO NOT REDUCE THE PARK DEDICATION FEES FOR NORTH AMERICAN PROPERTIES. THE MOTION WAS SECONDED. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. b. Review proposal from Rick Busch for free walking in the dome for everyone. Without any discussion, Commissioner Singer moved and Commissioner Thompson seconded a motion recommending that walking in the dome be free for everyone. It has been the general consensus of the Commission since the dome was first erected that free walking is a good will gesture and will help to bring the community together. The motion carried with all ayes. 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION Commissioner Singer will not be at the November meeting. Planning Commissioner Neset will be unable to attend that meeting as well. He stated that the Planning Commission approved the PUD for the east end of northwest Plymouth known as The Reserve. It includes a mini park. The development consists of 991 units on 125 acres. Director Blank said this will result in about $1.7 million in park dedication. This is the biggest project ever to come through the City. The next PRAC meeting is November 9. 8. STAFF COMMUNICATION None. 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.