Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 07-10-2003MINUTES OF THE PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING July 10, 2003 Page 28 Present: Anderson, Aamoth, Fiemann, Krahulec, Meyer, Rezabek, Ritchie, Rodriguez, Singer, staff Busch, Evans, Mittelstaedt, Pederson, Planning Commissioner Weir, Councilmember Slavik 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Anderson called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. in the Plymouth Creek Center's Fireside Room. Anderson introduced Ritchie and Rodriguez, our new youth commissioners. Both are students at Wayzata High School. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Singer moved and Krahulec seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the June meeting. Motion carried with all ayes. 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Athletic Associations. None were present at this meeting. b. Staff. Evans reported that we won another award for our Bridging the Gap program. In our population category, it is one of the best benefit based programs in the Midwest region. The City also won a website award. The Millennium Garden dedication ceremony was a beautiful event, Evans said. Music in Plymouth was a success as well. Rezabek asked if the Council had seen the video we made for the Gold Medal award. Staff said that Director Blank hasn't shown it to them yet but has plans to do it soon. 4. REPORT ON PAST COUNCIL ACTION None. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Unfinished business was not discussed. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Senior Programs - Sara Mittelstaedt. Mittelstaedt discussed an annual report showing new classes, etc. She explained the statistics regarding unduplicated and duplicated participants. She discussed the health quest topics that were held this past year as well as new programs held in 2003. She mentioned the success of the evening event, the first one offered since the Plymouth Creek Center was built. Attendance was good with 140 participants. Discover U is a humanities based program covering all PRAC Minutes/July 2003 Page 29 senior sites. This program seems to have hit a niche with seniors who attended these programs at the U in the past. She discussed the coordinated trips with the Minnetonka Senior Center. We have done this to make trips more affordable. The defibrillator was purchased with the help of the Plymouth Senior Services and the Minnetonka Plymouth Rotary Club. Bridging the Gap is a combined program for seniors and teens. Speakers come from the Great Decisions program from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. Sara stated that Minnesota has the longest life expectancy in North America and the world at 79. In 1963 there were 3 billion people on earth, now there are 6 billion. This number is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050. From 2010-2020 the 65 plus age group will grow by 60% and from 2020-2030, it will grow by 95%. These figures come from the state demographer, who spoke at the Whitney Center in St. Cloud, Sara said. Sara then distributed some Senior Grapevine newsletters. b. Plymouth Creek Center. Busch reviewed the annual report on the fieldhouse season. He stated he has been the manager of the facility for three years. We've had four fieldhouse seasons, because the dome was installed prior to the Plymouth Creek Center building. The turf was replaced last fall due to cosmetic defects. We had to pay the installation cost for this, Busch said. The old turf may be used elsewhere. Each year the fieldhouse has been open, there have been increases in rentals. Daytime hours during the week are more difficult to rent. Some senior programs are starting to make use of the fieldhouse during the day. Lacrosse is a huge sport in the fieldhouse. The lacrosse season begins in March for the high school. Wayzata girls' rugby practices are held in the spring. The walking track is very popular. Busch explained that a woman who was walking on the indoor track this past winter got hit in the head by a soccer ball, so a net was installed around the field to protect people walking on the track. This enables walking to take place almost all the time now. Our biggest supporters have been soccer clubs. They combined for 60% of total rentals. This past year it was down to 40%, but other groups used the extra time. PSA cut back on some of their leagues, Rick said, as an explanation of why rentals were down. Wings use was about the same. Wayzata soccer is a smaller group, so their use time was also about the same as in previous years. Soccer has always been the main activity - 79% of the total use of the fieldhouse. Half of the field is used for golf three days a week during lunch breaks. Fiemann asked how late at night the fieldhouse is used. Busch said 10:30 typically. Use starts at 7 a.m. usually, sometimes earlier. We offer park and recreation after school programs in the fieldhouse. There is no charge during the summer to use the fieldhouse turf. There are numerous sports camps that make use of the fieldhouse. Director Blank is trying to come up with ways to use the PRAC Minutes/July 2003 Page 30 old turf at a couple of different outside fields. Singer said it looks like more half fields are being rented than full fields. Busch confirmed that that is the case. Evans said that Wayzata is talking about putting up a dome on one of their fields. Singer stated that Eden Prairie and Hopkins are sending their soccer clubs to our dome. c. Lower level of Plymouth Creek Center. Evans distributed schematic drawings of the lower level. Chair Anderson stated that City Manager Johnson is looking for a recommendation from PRAC to move ahead on this project. The Council will be discussing the potential of doing this project at their next meeting. Rezabek asked if we still had the money in the budget for this. Evans said we have some money earmarked in our capital improvement funds for this, plus some additional city funding to make up the difference. The cost will be about $1,000,000 to finish the project. The lower level will be generic use - the seniors will make use of it as well as teens. Slavik said the Council hasn't seen any new reports on this item, but she expects it will be in their next agenda packet. Evans explained the various uses of the facility's rooms, i.e., conference room, computer room, music room, theater, pool table area, vending machines/concessions, classrooms. There is storage planned as well. Busch explained how the area previously used by Acceleration Minnesota would be used by the city. Evans said we do have space set aside for music programs for youth and seniors. The theater area would get a lot of use during the day by senior programs, Busch said. Fiemann surmised there is a big demand for this space already. Singer agrees the demand and need is there. She wondered about the cost to maintain it. Some additional money is proposed to help maintain it over and above user fees. Busch explained that rentals do not pay for the upkeep of the Plymouth Creek Center. This has been budgeted for in the general fund. Busch said we did not want to be dependent on rental dollars. It was the plan to use the Plymouth Creek Center primarily for city run programs, classes, etc. We'll make between $110,000 and $120,000 this year in rentals, Rick projected. Room set ups constantly change, Busch said. He explained how the maintenance employees' job is set up - the hours they work, etc. In the last few months we have been fortunate to have a special cleaning crew - mentally challenged young adults. He said that six or seven young adults come to the Plymouth Creek Center three days a week to clean and they go to the Ice Center the other two days at a substantial cost savings to us. Anderson explained that the City Manager is looking for approval from PRAC to complete the lower level. Meyer said she thinks PRAC has always been in favor of it. It's been in the CIP the past couple of years. SINGER MOVED THAT PRAC SUPPORTS FINISHING BOTH PHASES OF THE LOWER LEVEL OF THE PLYMOUTH CREEK CENTER. REZABEK SECONDED. Fiemann asked about finishing the lower level in two phases. PRAC Minutes/July 2003 Page 31 There would likely be a substantial increase in the cost to do it in two phases, Rezabek thought. Busch guessed that phase one might be 600,000 to $750,000. To make it teen friendly, the lower level might have a different look than the current d6cor. Aamoth wanted a clarification of the dollars available. Some city funds such as the community improvement fund could be used, Slavik said. The Council has already given approval to the police department expansion project. Slavik said they aren't bonding for the expansion, but they are bonding for roads. Fiemann agrees that the lower level is needed. MOTION CARRIED ALL AYES. Slavik said the Council is in favor of completing the lower level of the Plymouth Creek Center, but the budget is an issue. Fiemann asked who would be doing the teen programming in the lower level. Evans responded that Regina Michaud is our teen programmer. d. Park tour. Anderson explained to Ritchie and Rodriguez that once a summer commissioners meet at 4 p.m. at City Hall and go on a tour of the parks, etc. Some available dates are the 13th, 20th and 21 St of August. After polling commissioners, the 20th was selected as the tour date. The public meeting on the tobacco free policy will be in September. There may or may not be a regular August meeting. 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION Rezabek introduced his daughter who attended the meeting with him. 8. STAFF COMMUNICATION None. 9. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m.