HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 06-13-2002Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting
June 13, 2002
Page 22
Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Fiemann, Meyer, Rezabek, Krahulec,
Singer, Councilmember Hewitt, staff Blank, Evans, Michaud, Pederson
Absent: Musliner
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Anderson called the June 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 Krahulec to approve the minutes of the May meeting as
presented. The motion carried with all ayes.
3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS
a. Athletic Associations. None were present.
b. Staff. Evans stated that we have processed over 9,000 registrations as of
June 11. The majority was done either in person or over the phone. 40%
were done using the Internet or the Touch Tone System. This has been a
very busy week for us. After the skate park grand opening Evans attended
the summer staff training orientation. The majority of the summer programs
begin next week. Our summer concert series started last Tuesday. We are
hosting water ski shows at Parkers this summer, June 20, July 18, and
August 15. Evans reminded commissioners of Music in Plymouth on July 2,
and the 5K Fun Run on June 29th. Blank stated that the Prior Lake Water Ski
team puts on the water ski shows.
c. Others.
4. PAST COUNCIL ACTION
None.
5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Millennium Garden update. Blank stated that the stone people are facing
the concrete flat surfaces, a fountain has been added, trellises have been
completed, the foot bridge is in, curbing and sidewalks will be poured
next week, and a contract has been let for 1,000 bricks. Electric lights are
being placed in the walls, etc. We are making progress and still shooting
for a fall opening.
PRAC Minutes/June 2002
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b. Hilde Performance Center update. Blank said the roofing has begun, and
the painters are busy. By the end of next week, most construction should
be done. We will only be sodding the site in time for the concert. No other
landscaping will take place prior to Music in Plymouth.
c. Greenwood youth sports update. We're 95% done, Blank explained. There
are problems, however. The contractor hasn't seeded or sodded around
the pond area. The grass areas look like they are playable. Blank hopes
teams can start playing there next week. We will reschedule the
dedication, but first we want to get Wayzata Baseball started using the
fields.
d. Mud Lake park update. The Council awarded contracts for the play
structure, and is working out agreements with Hennepin County for the
trail that butts up to Co. Rd. 47. A guard rail has to be built on the road.
We will be out for bids on June 25 on the base project. We will be under
construction soon. We may start draining the lake soon. The name
change to Lake Camelot has been approved. Blank stated that PRAC will
take up the naming of the park at the August meeting.
6. NEW BUSINESS
a. Teen survey - Regina Michaud. Blank introduced Regina Michaud. She is
in charge of teen programs primarily. She is also a staff liaison to the Youth
Advisory council subcommittee dealing with recreation. Michaud
oversaw the teen survey. She made up the questions and distributed it.
She stated that she polled approximately 1,100 teens ages 12-18, in
grades 6-12. One hundred twelve surveys came from high school kids and
the rest came from the middle school kids. Of those surveyed, 76% were
Plymouth residents with the remaining surveys from New Hope and
Wayzata residents. Forty seven percent were ages 13-14, and the next
largest group was ages 1 1-12. Fifty eight percent felt there was already a
place for teens to gather, i.e., Caribou Coffee, movie theaters, etc.
Seventy seven percent feel there is a need for a teen place, and 80% are
in favor of establishing such a place. The senior high kids were more
evenly divided on whether a place for teens is needed. There was fairly
even division on where such a facility should be. As for the features a teen
place should have, many different opinions were expressed. There is
strong interest in an advanced height skate park and BMX track. Forty
percent said they would use a teen center 1-5 times per month. Twenty
eight percent would use it one to five times per year or never. The most
popular time would be weekends and evenings during the school year or
summer. Forty five percent think a teen/adult board should run the facility.
There would be a transportation issue with a teen center, because most of
the teens do not drive. Sixty eight percent are involved in extra -curricular
PRAC Minutes/June 2002
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activities. Meyer asked how the survey was distributed. Michaud said she
visited the schools during lunch hours and handed them out and
collected them all on the same day. Singer asked what Michaud's
recommendation would be toward a teen center. If we have the money,
it would be awesome, Michaud responded. But most teen centers are
heavily funded by the cities where they are located. Most older teens
want to go to these centers to listen to bands. The middle school ages
want many different features in a teen center, all high end. Fiemann
asked what it costs other communities to run their centers. Michaud said it
costs $60,000 - $100,000 in operating costs per year. She said this is the
entire budget, maintenance, staff, bringing in bands, etc. Michaud said
you can bring in local bands at no cost, but then you don't always get
high attendance. She said Bloomington has a youth center in association
with the schools. Maple Grove has a teen center functioning now. They
have sand volleyball, a skate park, a small movie theater style room, a
small game room with foosball, pool table, video games, etc. Rezabek
said this teen center is always packed. We don't have any buildings right
now in Plymouth that would work for this facility, at least not one that
neighbors would be receptive toward. Meyer said it would be difficult to
put money into something that isn't a sure bet. Meyer said she isn't sure
we could do something they would want to frequent. Anderson said this
teen center idea has been discussed for a long time. It's an older crowd
that uses the Depot, and they all drive there. If it's in the right location,
Michaud said we could share a building that could be dedicated to
teens part of the time and other populations the other times. Blank said
there's no need for any recommendation tonight. It's too soon. If we go
down this road, it will be expensive Blank said. He said there are some
things we can do in the basement of the Plymouth Creek Center that
would be program oriented, rather than age oriented. Rezabek
wondered if the teen survey results would have been different if it had
been distributed at the movie theater, or other places where they hang
out. Michaud said she didn't think so. Hewitt said the high schoolers won't
go to the same place where the middle schoolers hang out. They don't
want to mix or mingle, and they don't want adult supervision. Hewitt said
Michaud did a good job with her survey. Blank told the commissioners to
hang on to the survey, because PRAC would continue to discuss it at
future meetings.
b. Plymouth Creek Center lower level improvements - Del Erickson. Blank
said staff has been working on the lower level design of the Plymouth
Creek Center. Council directed staff to come up with a master plan. A
staff committee has been working on this composed of the City Manager
Johnson, Park Director Blank, Recreation Superintendent Evans, Plymouth
Creek Center Manager Busch, Recreation Supervisor Greupner, Senior
Coordinator Mittelstaedt, Recreation Program Coordinator Michaud,
PRAC Minutes/June 2002
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Plymouth Creek Center Maintenance Supervisor Tigue, and City Hall
Property Management Coordinator Jones. A concept plan for the lower
level was presented to the Youth Advisory Council and the Senior Council.
Each group had some good ideas for features. A week from now the plan
will be shared with the Council. Currently we have money to finish about
1/3 of the space. Del Erickson then made a presentation on the plan. The
plan presented tonight embodies ideas suggested by the teens and the
seniors, Erickson stated. He pointed out the food court, small lobby/foyer,
multi -use space which would accommodate a hard floor surface for
dances, craft groups, exercise area, and card groups. The far northwest
corner is also multi -use with a tiered floor leading to a stage/movie
screen, etc. The tiers would accommodate two rows of seating or tables
and chairs depending on how they are arranged. There is a small
audio/visual control room, also. There is a need for a music lessons room.
The central lobby area which leads to the millennium garden and
fieldhouse could be used for pool tables, etc. There could also be a
concession/food vending area with some limited seating on barstools.
There would also be the capability to hook up computers in one area,
and there is also space for storage. Only a partial basement has been
designed at this point. The rest of the area is unexcavated at this time.
Singer asked about the small office that is currently on the lower level.
Blank pointed out where that was on the drawing. Erickson pointed out
where the opening is that goes to the upper level. The pool tables are
offset from that opening preventing noise from going straight up. She
asked what happens if she's holding a wedding upstairs and something's
going on downstairs. Blank said on Saturday night if there's a wedding
going on, the rest of the building would be shut down for the most part.
There might be exceptions to that on occasion, but it wouldn't be
anything big that would interfere with the upper level event. The major
revenue comes in from renting this facility for weddings, Singer stated.
Weddings are on the weekends, so that's two nights taken away from the
teens, Singer said. Blank said regardless of what goes on inside the
building, having a wedding upstairs and a teen event downstairs is inviting
trouble. Blank thought that two Friday nights a month the teens could
maybe have the facility, and no weddings would be booked on those
nights. We host 350 people sometimes for weddings. We have to
logistically program the building. There isn't enough parking to
accommodate too many events here at one time, Blank said. Erickson
explained that the multi -use room would have glass walls. Fiemann asked
if there's a way to make that room private and block those glass walls.
Erickson said you could put some kind of shades over the glass, or some
other type of screening. Rezabek thinks the noise coming off the pool
tables will carry to the upper level. Fiemann thinks the noise is a very valid
concern. Erickson says there's no way to block it out totally. The daytime
hours would mostly be seniors using the facility and playing pool, Erickson
PRAC Minutes/June 2002
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said. Fiemann said he likes the tiered multi -use room. It has been designed
to be lower into the ground than the rest of the basement. The music
room could be for music lessons. These rooms would also hold small
groups, such as a small chorus for example that might want to practice.
Singer asked if the storage area meets the needs of the seniors. Singer also
asked about additional bathrooms on this level. Blank said bathrooms are
the most expensive things to put in, so there will not be additional
bathrooms. She thinks it would be nice to have bathrooms to
accommodate the fieldhouse users and the other lower level users.
Fiemann asked again about how much money was available. Blank said
there's enough to do this one-third that is shown. The card room is a high
priority for the seniors. In order to do the tiered room, you have to do the
exit corridor, too, Erickson said. There has been no mention of putting a
fireplace on the lower level. Evans said the seniors are more interested in
table space than a fireplace. Singer said she likes the plan. Other
commissioners agreed. Blank said this plan will now go to the Council to
get their input. Rezabek asked if it's cheaper to do it in one phase, and
Erickson confirmed that it is. Krahulec asked about the timing of other
phases. There was no definite answer. Blank said there's one block of
money in the current CIP. He doesn't see this process taking longer than a
few years. Blank said there's a moveable wall between the tiered room
and the multi -use room. There is a lot of flexibility in this design, Blank said.
Fewer bathrooms means less cleaning time. The best time schedule is to
break ground in October with a completion date of mid-December.
7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION
Singer said the building is finished down at East Medicine Lake Beach and
that it is fabulous. A person who attends that beach every day suggested
that we need a recycling barrel there.
8. STAFF COMMUNICATION
Blank said he would be gone on July 11, but the meeting will go on as
scheduled at the Plymouth Creek Center for presentations by Busch and
Mittelstaedt. There will be no August meeting, but there will be a park tour
instead on August 7. The Hilde Dedication is July 2, during the Music in
Plymouth event. Blank reminded PRAC that there is also the Hilde reception
the evening of June 30th at the Plymouth Creek Center.
9. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.