HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 10-11-2001Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting
October 11, 2001
Page 52
Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Fiemann, Meyer, Musliner, Singer; staff Bisek,
Blank, Pederson; Councilmember Hewitt; Planning Commissioner Neset
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Anderson called the October meeting to order at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Commissioner Musliner corrected the September minutes by noting that Meyer should have
been listed as present, and Thompson's name should not have been included. Singer asked if
Director Blank wanted his comments about the Greenwood contractor to appear in the
minutes and Blank said his comments stand. A motion was made by Commissioner Singer
and seconded by Commissioner Fiemann to approve the minutes of the meeting as corrected.
The motion carried with all ayes.
3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS
a. Athletic Associations. None were present.
b. Staff Mary Bisek said the parade went very well, although the weather was cool. People
enjoyed the new activities such as the petting zoo. The Westside Players' fall production
starts this weekend. One of our staff members, Mara Herman, is in the chorus. Bisek
handed out a flyer advertising the Chocolate Sampler. No more volunteers are needed.
We are still looking for additional door prizes. Work has begun on the Winter/Spring
recreation booklet. We are talking about putting our mission statement in this next issue.
Soccer season is almost over. Cindy Anderson had a baby girl on October 8. Her name is
Jennifer Carol. Cindy will be on maternity leave until mid-January. Singer commented
that she is officiating some soccer games for us. A soccer goal blew over at Cretin High
School in St. Paul, so she wants staff to check our goals regularly to make sure they are
fastened. Blank said we will double check them all. He said the high school sometimes
loosens them in order to move them, and when they put them back, they don't refasten
them. Fiemann said he went to the pancake breakfast the morning of the parade and was
very impressed with it. They were running out of things when he was there, which was
near the tail end. Bisek said about 400 people attended the breakfast. Fiemann asked
when the dome is being installed. Blank said Wednesday, October 17. Musliner asked
about Three Ponds Park. She said there is nothing there to stop kids from running right
onto the railroad tracks. Blank said the issue of putting in a crossing here is on hold while
we negotiate regarding the train whistle. Federal legislation on whistle blowing is being
rewritten right now. The law currently states that wherever there is a railroad crossing
without safety barriers in place, the train must blow the whistle. Musliner also asked
about the boarded up slide at Maple Creek Park and when it would be fixed. Blank said it
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will be replaced. Blank announced that Bisek is the new Director of Parks and Recreation
for Inver Grove Heights beginning November 5th.
c. Others. There were no others.
4. PAST COUNCIL ACTION
a. Hilde Performance Center. See item 5b.
5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Millennium Garden update. This past week, all stone retaining walls were completed.
This amounts to $5,000 to $7,000 worth of donated work. The fiber optic lines for cable,
phones and computers ended up running right beneath one of the water fall lines, so the
fiber optics had to be relocated. That work is also done now. We have bid the first water
basin and hope that the contractors will begin in the next couple of weeks. Last Friday the
Carlson Foundation notified us that they are giving us $75,000 for the garden. That will
come in the form of three separate donations of $25,000 each. We have a very solid
financial picture right now. The community has embraced the garden. Mayor Tierney
worked long and hard to get the donation from Carlson.
b. Hilde Performance Center update. The final plans and specs were approved two weeks
ago. Last Tuesday the Council allocated another $95,000 to the project, so some items in
jeopardy of being deleted from the project will now be allowed to remain. Blank says
constriction should begin next week.
c. Greenwood youth sports update. The 120—day contract expired on October 9. The
contractor is currently putting in irrigation and fencing. They have given us a revised
schedule saying the site will be sodded by October 22. They are now in a penalty phase
of $500 a day. Anderson asked if there were guidelines regarding the rejection of low
bids. Blank said it is extremely difficult to rile out a low bidder unless you have definite
proof that the low bidder is inadequate.
d. West Medicine Lake Park restrooms update. We had zero bidders. Two contractors had
all the plans and specs out, but came back and said they were too busy to bid on the
project. We have readvertised and will reopen bids next Friday. This time we may have
four bidders submitting bids. They will be awarded on October 23. It is still our target to
have bathrooms available by Memorial Weekend, 2002.
e. Northwest Greenway report on open house held October 2. The open house went well.
Over 800 invitations were sent, but not one phone call was received. There was a good
turnout that evening. All comments were positive about the Northwest Greenway itself.
Bisek said people come in to the city's planning department and ask specifically to see
plans for the greenway. Singer said she observed that we have a lot of horseback riders in
this area. One resident invited Blank to go horseback riding with her through this area.
Musliner was amused that a resident wanted the living farm to have cable, gas and sewer
service. We will be making an offer next week on a 10—acre parcel near the wetland. By
October 23 we will likely recommend to the Council that we purchase this parcel. Blank
will be meeting next week with consultants to try and narrow down trail alternatives to
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just one. We will come back to the Commission with one more update, then have another
public meeting. Blank's plan is to have the master plan adopted by the Council next
March. Blank said now we start looking at the plan with a microscope parcel by parcel.
This will take about four to six weeks. Fiemann asked about the site for the future sports
complex. This site is owned by the Begin family. Blank said Mr. Begin is hospitalized
right now, so we will wait to meet with him until after he has recuperated.
6. NEW BUSINESS
a. BMX bike course referred by Council. This came about as a result of kids building a
BMX course in Heritage Park, which resulted in the destruction of trees. The City
Council asked that this be referred to PRAC. On raw land, BMX bikes chew up the soil
and it's harmful to trees. For a BMX course, you need a big piece of property with dirt
mounds on it. We don't have a quick fix on this Blank said.
7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION
Singer moved and Fiemann seconded a motion to thank Mary for all her hard work and to
wish her well in her new position. The motion carried with all ayes.
8. STAFF COMMUNICATION
Blank said the skate park continues to be busy. Kids are there after school and on weekends.
We've heard that there has been one injury. Blank said he may have a conflict on the 8th and
would like to reschedule the next meeting to November 15. Most commissioners were okay
with this date. Meyer asked about the petition for a trail that was included in the PRAC
packet. Blank said it's south of Highway 55 by the Farmers Market down to the movie
theaters. The Luce Line trail is now open from Ferndale Road to 169, with a short 100 yard
detour near the railroad tracks. This now gives us a complete off—road looping trail around
Medicine Lake. The trail on Rockford Road from Dunkirk to Holly Lane is complete, as well
as the trail on 36th from Vicksburg to County Road 9. The trail along Revere Lane south of
10th Avenue to Rainbow Foods was just paved, also. The parking lot at Parkers Lake has
now been resurfaced. All the benches need to be repainted at Parkers. This will be done over
the winter. The grading for the playground at the Environmental Park is done. The
playground equipment will be shipped next week.
9. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.