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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 08-09-2001Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting August 9, 2001 Page 43 Present: Chair Anderson; Commissioners Fiemann, Meyer, Singer, and Thompson; Planning Commissioner Neset, staff Bisek, Blank, and Sankey Absent: Commissioner Musliner 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Anderson called the August meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. in the Council Chambers. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the July meeting as presented. The motion carried with all ayes. 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Athletic Associations. b. Staff Mary spoke of the heat's impact on programs and activities. Lifeguards have fainted, people have left early, classes have been called off, and two concerts have been cancelled due to the heat. The concert from August 6 has been rescheduled for August 28. The Art Fair has been publicized on the new sign by the Ice Center. Karol is excited about the number of responses she is getting for the Art Fair, and she thinks the sign is helping. The date of the Art Fair is September 15. Plymouth on Parade is scheduled for October 6, and the Chocolate Sampler is scheduled for November 1. Fall registration has begun. The phones have been very busy. Touchtone is still outperforming Rec-Connect. Many people are using the systems between midnight and 8 a.m. The new skateboard park has been heavily used; there are nearly always 25 kids playing on it. They are using the Public Works building for water and restrooms. The kids have been very polite. Singer asked about having an opening ceremony. Blank said it will be coming within the next few weeks. Singer asked about collecting statistics. Blank said they are working on having someone go out and take counts during the day or perhaps installing a video camera. Anderson said he had visited the park, and it looks very nice. Bisek said there is a $500 reward out for information on vandals at beaches. This is a joint venture between the Crime Prevention Fund and Park & Recreation. Singer asked how this is being publicized. Bisek said that Sara Cwayna with the Police Department is in charge. Meyer said she had seen it in the paper. Bisek said that it is also posted at the beaches and city hall. Fiemann suggested putting it on the cable. Neset asked if the police are talking to kids about it. The beaches will be open with guards through this weekend, and unguarded for another week. c. Others. Kathleen Thompson announced her resignation from the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission. She has accepted a job in Wilmington, Delaware. PRAC Minutes/August 2001 Page 44 4. PAST COUNCIL ACTION None. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Millennium Garden update. Director Blank said that Doboszenzki moved onto the site on Tuesday and may be done grading by tomorrow. Concrete work, utilities, and underground lighting will be the next phase. The fall planting may need to wait until spring because of availability of plant material which we want to use. We received a 2,000 donation last week from Lundgren Homes. b. Hilde Performance Center update. The architects are in the design phase. They have a prototype plan which they want to show to the building officials. Building foundation should be underway this fall. It should be fully operational by next year's Music in Plymouth 30 -Year Anniversary. c. Greenwood youth sports update. The underground utilities are in place, the pond has been dug, and final grading needs to be done. We need more topsoil, and 4-5 inches will be imported soon. The fence work and irrigation system will be in shortly. With reasonable weather, the fields should be playable by mid—June next year. d. Review update to CIP through 2006. Director Blank explained that the 2001-2005 CIP was approved by PRAC in December. The rest of the city never finished their 2001-2005 CIP's. The city manager wants to bring everyone together again on the same schedule, so we need to adopt a 2001-2006 CIP. Most changes are shown in 2002. The final three years are mostly conceptual. New projects include trail & lot lights at West Medicine Lake, repair of East Medicine Lake building, bathrooms or a fiill building at West Medicine Lake, and landscaping around new amphitheater building. Food vending setup at the amphitheater needs to be changed. Power sources should be installed around the perimeter. Because the seniors and teen programs need space, we would like to finish off 2,000 square feet in the basement of Plymouth Creek Center for these purposes. Parking at the Lifetime Fitness/Ice Center complex will be addressed during the council study session on August 28. The cost would be shared with Lifetime Fitness. For the open space acquisition, whatever isn't spent in 2001 would roll over to 2002. Singer asked about the trail on Old Rockford Road from Dunkirk to Holly Lane. Blank said it is being completed this year. It would be extended to Peony Lane next year. We have received a petition of 15 names from residents who are in favor of the trail from Goldenrod to Zachary on Rockford Road, and there are three people who have let us know they don't want it. There is a gentlemen who wants a trail from Dunkirk to Vicksburg on Old Rockford Road. However, there are only two houses along that stretch, the ditches are very deep, and the people are being served by a trail which goes by Plymouth Creek Elementary toward the downtown area. That section may be on hold for the time being. Singer asked about the empty lot on Peony Lane and Old Rockford Road. Blank said that a convenience store/gas station/car wash has been approved, but they have not begun constriction. Fiemann asked about improvement of Old Rockford Road. Blank said it isn't in the 5—year plan. Many other street projects are in the plans now. 44 PRAC Minutes/August 2001 Page 45 In 2003, a neighborhood park to be added will be added as Seven Greens neighborhood is completed. The third ice sheet should be crossed out. The city manager doesn't feel the time is right for it, but it will be in the narrative as a possibility if the right conditions come together for it. The 10th Playfield is planned on Vicksburg Lane north of the railroad tracks. Thompson asked about a dog park or water park. Blank said they aren't currently in the plan. Singer asked about the Environmental Park. Blank said the playground is going in this year. FIEMANN MOVED TO APPROVE THE 2001-2006 CIP AND TO SEND IT TO THE COUNCIL STUDY SESSION. SINGER SECONDED. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Review parkin cgonceptsforIceCenterandLifetimeFitness. Director Blank explained that the city has approved on—street parking on Plymouth Boulevard from 37th south to the city hall lot. This will add 95 parking stalls. Bids will be opened on August 22 for that work, and the project will commence in September. There will be only two traffic lanes, which should slow traffic down and make the area more pedestrian friendly. Blank presented several options for parking lot additions. There could be after—hours use of the parking lot for the Carlson building next to Cub which has not yet been built. Parking space for 60 cars could be added behind Lifetime Fitness for employees. On the east side, 69 spaces could be added by expansion of the lot. Sixty spaces could be created in the buffer near the wetlands east of the building. On the corner of Plymouth Boulevard & 37th, 57 car slots could be added. We could add a bay next to the Lifetime Fitness driveway for 18 cars. We could extend the city hall parking lot by taking out a minimal amount of trees. Two parking ramp designs were shown as a possibility on the southerly portion of the lot. Singer asked about traffic control at 36th Avenue. Blank said the new Plymouth Boulevard configuration should help the pedestrian traffic. Fiemann asked how many spaces are actually needed. Blank said 100 additional spaces would help Lifetime Fitness right now. If the 3rd sheet of ice is added in the future, 150 more spaces would be needed. This would bring the total need to approximately 1,000 cars. The plans need to incorporate this ultimate possibility. We currently have space for 680 cars. Adding the 3rd sheet to the north side of the building would affect only 20 parking spaces, compared to 100 spaces on the east side. The interior of the building lays out better this way, too, and is more economical. Anderson asked how to come up with the 1,000 stalls. Blank said any combination of the seven ground level possibilities and a ramp. Meyer asked for clarification of parking considerations if the 3rd sheet isn't actually being planned. Blank said it still needs to be considered in the plans for the parking because the 3rd sheet of ice is a possibility, and we wouldn't want to reconfigure the parking later. Fiemann said Providence Academy could have a large impact on these plans. The Academy wants to offer hockey. We have no room for them right now. We would need the 3rd sheet, and we would need them in partnership to get it done. The parking issue is going to the Council work session. Last year's extreme snow conditions impacted the parking conditions greatly. Blank is suggesting that the council hold off a decision until we go through another winter, with the new on—street parking available, to see how it goes. 45 PRAC Minutes/August 2001 Page 46 b. Fees for dome and Plymouth Creek Center. The dome must generate enough income to pay for its replacement. The dome bubble has a 12—year life, and the carpet should last six to nine years. We must put aside $75,000 per year for replacement. We are recommending increasing the rates from $220 to $235 per hour for prime time and $180 to $200 for non -prime. Paul Vincent, 12800 34th Avenue, spoke. He is the President of the Plymouth Soccer Association, which had 3,000 kids in their program last year. This will be their 3rd year in the dome, and he is concerned about the increase. They expanded their use last year, and they already have a 350 hour commitment for this year. They would have to charge their participants more if the rates are raised. He is afraid they will start losing folks "on the fringe" because of the increased cost. He said that PSA is the dome's largest user, and probably 30% or more revenue came from them last year. He would like to see the rate stricture allow them to continue to serve their participants. He asked for consideration of a volume discount. Blank said we have already moved the rates down from the originally proposed $250, and he feels that this is as low as it can go. Discounting is not very common in the public sector. All the prime hours are sold out. The only way to combat inflation is to raise the rates. Wayzata Hockey doesn't get a discount at the Ice Arena even though they are a large user. Small organizations who wouldn't get the discount would not feel it is fair since they are Plymouth residents, too. It is only fair to charge everyone the same price. We feel it is a reasonable price that will allow us to keep the dome in good shape and keep it going into the future. We did not raise the rental rate for the first two years. The non -prime rate was actually lowered the second year to encourage colleges to come in. Singer asked if we could lower the prime and raise the non -prime without too much resistance. Blank didn't think it would work well. There are not as many groups available during non -prime hours, and we need them to continue buying time. Singer said she would like to have the rates be in effect for two years. MOTION TO APPROVE THE RATE STRUCTURE WAS MADE BY ANDERSON AND SECONDED BY MEYER. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. Plymouth Creek Center. Director Blank stated that the main change is the addition of a rate for corporations. The Recreation Division needs to use the rooms for programs, but this negates the collection of revenue from renters. Ultimately, we would like to use the building for recreation all week long and use it for rentals on weekends. The revenue, therefore, needs to be adjusted. Thompson asked if these proposed rates could hold for two years. Blank said it depends on utility fees. There are many bookings out into 2002 under the old rates. New rates would be affective when the Council approves. Singer said that the lower level should be completed for the recreation programs so more rental space is available upstairs. Fiemann noticed that for the corporate rate for meeting rooms 1 & 2, the hourly rate at $30 is cheaper than the $190 for 6 hours. Blank suggested raising it to 35. SINGER MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE RATE STRUCTURE WITH THE CHANGE TO $35 EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1. THOMPSON SECONDED. THE MOTION PASSED WITH ALL AYES. 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION None. 46 PRAC Minutes/August 2001 Page 47 8. STAFF COMMUNICATION Eric reminded everyone that the study session on the Ice Center parking will be on August 28 in the Public Safety Building. ANDERSON MOTIONED TO THANK KATHLEEN THOMPSON FOR HER HARD WORK ON THE COMMISSION. SINGER SECONDED. MOTION PASSED WITH ALL AYES. 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m. 47