HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 03-12-2009MINUTES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING
March 12, 2009
PRESENT: Commissioners: M. Smith, G. Anderson, D. Anderson, A. Vanderwall, N.
Carroll, J. Nelson, P. Knight
Staff: E. Blank, D. Evans, P. Buck, D. Sankey
City Council Liaison: B. Stein
ABSENT: Planning Commission Liaison D. Kobusson
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Smith called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Motion was made by Commissioner G Anderson and seconded by Commissioner
Knight to approve the February minutes with changes noted. Vote: 6 Ayes. Motion
carried.
Commissioner Carroll arrived after approval of minutes.
3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS
a. Athletic Associations: None
b. Staff: Superintendant of Recreation Diane Evans reported on upcoming events.
The Healthy Living Fair will be held on Sunday, March 15 from 1-5:00 p.m. It is a
free event which includes health screening, education, and fitness samplers. The
event is co-sponsored with West Health. The Public Art Banner competition has
concluded. PFAC and staff are reviewing the applications and anticipate adding
nine banners to the collection. Planning is under way for the Yard & Garden Expo t
be held on April 3 & 4. New features include Bobby Jensen from KARE 11 Grow
With Care speaking on Friday and Minnesota Market Place featuring fresh and local
products. Since this is a fundraiser for the Millennium Garden, there is a $3
admission fee. Primavera is coming up, and PFAC it jurying it today. There are
close to 100 pieces. When done, the best of the best will be shown on April 17 - 21
at Plymouth Creek Center. The City Sampler will be held on April 25 from 9:00 to
noon at City Hall. This is designed to be in lieu of town meetings. The Twister
Sisters will be there again this year with a very impressive show on tornadoes and
storms. The summer brochure goes out on Monday. Residents can start registering
on March 24 and non-residents on March 31. On April 28, there will be an unveiling
of the new sculpture at the Millennium Garden. On Tuesday night, the Arts Policy
was approved by the City Council. Director Blank added that PSA did an all-night
fundraiser at the dome recently and raised over $17,000. This was the first time this
type of event has been tried there.
4. REPORT ON PAST COUNCIL ACTION
PRAC Minutes/March 12, 2009
Page 2
a. Approve Annual Report: Director Blank said the Council accepted the Annual
Report at their meeting two weeks ago. PRAC's choices of Chair & Vice Chair were
also approved.
b. Approve PRAC Work Plan: The Council also approved the PRAC Work Plan.
5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Update — Art Sculpture: Blank said he recently saw a full-size mock-up of the new
sculpture, which is nine feet tall. There will be some challenges in getting it installed
on time because of frost in the ground. We are committed to getting it installed
before the wedding season begins. We are planning on an April 28 dedication.
b. Zachary building — Blank said that the association is planning on a May 2
dedication, and invitations will be coming. They are sheet rocking and mudding right
now. They are looking forward to getting it wrapped up and to getting the Health
Department permit. The dedication of the building will tie in with the opening of the
baseball season celebration.
c. Update - Greenway Land Acquisition: Blank reported that he has reached
another deal on a parcel just east of Dunkirk Lane. It should close the end of July or
early August. The Begin farm is just to the east. Preservation of the trees is the
number one thing for this parcel. He hopes to get a couple more purchases done
this year.
d. Comprehensive Plan Blank said that the Metropolitan Council will approve of the
plan on April 8. This will officially open up northwest Plymouth for development.
Plans are in place for sewer, water, and streets. It will be ready when economy
turns around and development starts up again.
6. NEW BUSINESS
a. Review Draft of Open Space Management Plans: Blank explained that we want
to create this report to set up implementation steps for open spaces with
management plans for each. We want to get the plan done by around June and to
have it on our web page for people to read. City Forester Paul Buck said we began
the report with what is on each site and what kind of ecosystem it contains. We
want to make it work for 20 years out into the future. The plan includes a brief
history and overall stewardship scheme. Each site has some inventory, although
some are sketchier. He noted some of the problems and recommendations in the
plan. Chair Smith asked for a summary of the issues. Buck said the easiest one to
work on is buckthorn. The hardest one is reed canary grass which is extremely hard
to control. Garlic mustard is another exotic species with no natural enemies. It is
best to stop the plants in little patches when possible. It comes down to financially
feasible management options. It is most effective to educate the citizens in the
neighborhood, helping them to control the weed species too. Commissioner G.
Anderson asked about whether there are native plant species that can be
introduced to help with the control. Buck said not at this time. A report has come out
PRAC Minutes/March 12, 2009
Page 3
that angora goats will eat buckthorn, although he is not sure if this is practical. Fire
or clear cutting may be the best for some sites. Chair Smith asked about signage,
including signs with rules. Buck said there are no rule signs yet. Most of the existing
signs establish the boundary lines with neighbors. Commissioner G. Anderson
asked whether neighbors are respectful of the boundaries. Buck said putting up
signs right away is the best way to establish the perimeters. Equipment is not
always able to enter the sites because we are trying to keep them natural. It could
be beneficial to put in a path to create an access point. Chair Smith suggested
maybe Tree Trust could help with maintenance, and Buck said we have used them
in the past.
Buck pointed out some details on each Open Space:
County Road 73 is located just below LaCompte Playfield. We would like to
eventually connect this parcel with LaCompte. It contains a native stand of
Tamarac.
East Medicine Lake contains a water quality pond and is a created wetland. It is a
nice amenity for the neighborhood. Councilmember Stein pointed out that he sees a
lot of people fishing there.
Elm Creek Woods is located behind the high school and is one of the highest rated
pieces of property. It contains a high ropes course, and we worked with the school
to minimize impact. Commissioner G. Anderson said they do a lot of testing of the
water there. Buck said that some of trees are starting to tip over the creek, and it
may require some major work to restore it. Stein wondered if there was an
association such Friends of Elm Creek which could help with maintenance. Blank
said there is a Friends of Elm Creek group, and their interest is building a regional
trail. Commissioner G. Anderson asked about erosion. Buck said that at times,
offsite water does cause some wash outs.
Fazendin Park is off of Dunkirk and 25th Avenue and is maintained more than the
other open spaces. Parts of it are mowed, although there are recommendations to
change it over to a little more natural open space. Commissioner G. Anderson
asked how much of it is mowed. Buck said perhaps half. Comissioner G. Anderson
asked if residents would get mad if we quit mowing. Buck explained that there is a
lower part that can't be mowed in wet weather. Chair Smith commented that he
goes through the park land sometimes, and it is a nice space.
Ferndale is in the southwest corner of the city just below Hadley Lake. Not a lot car
be done with this space, and access is an issue. The residents probably don't want
much done there. Commissioner G. Anderson asked if there is buckthorn there.
Buck said there is not a lot. Chair Smith asked how we handle the pond — do we do
any treating of it? Blank said we don't treat any ponds in the city. Chair Smith asked
about the area south of the pond. Buck said the soil must have been disturbed and
compacted because there is not much natural generation of trees there. There are
some informal paths created by deer. Commissioner Carroll asked about the
maintenance schedule. Buck explained that the entrance is trimmed back about
every other year and we put down wood chips for an entrance trail that goes in
PRAC Minutes/March 12, 2009
Page 4
about 30-40 feet. Commissioner Carroll asked whether we would consider doing
anything else. Buck would like to put in more wood chip trails which would make
better access for maintenance. Commissioner Carroll said he realized it has been a
delicate issue, but a number of people in the neighborhood would like to see some
compatible development to allow the neighborhood to use the area more fully. Blank
said that the management plan was set down by the Council. He would hesitate to
change it and open up more controversy. Smith asked if the site compares to
Woodland Trails. Blank said when the neighborhood was platted, the Council said it
would stay open space. About eight years ago, many neighbors wanted to add a
playground to the site. The neighborhood did not all agree with this and it caused
much controversy. Commissioner Carroll suggested that if the neighborhood
wanted to readdress this, they could bring it to the Council.
French Ridge is just south of the Cottonwood Plaza area. Buck said that this is a
nice site, but he doesn't know if we could ever develop it because of access issues.
Commissioner D. Anderson asked about the issue of staying on trails vs. trampling
and how much damage could be done. Buck said that by putting in a trail, you
encourage people to stay on it. Commissioner D. Anderson asked about using
fencing. Buck said he has tried it to keep deer from eating in an area, but it didn't
work real well.
Hardenbergh is just west of 101 and 12th Ave. Buck pointed out that we have done
pretty extensive buckthorn work in this area, and we continue to do some work
there each year. Blank said we bought the property with money from the 1995 bond.
Mrs. Hardenbergh donated 4 acres and we paid about $750,000 for the rest.
Shadyview is at Highway 101 and 30th Avenue, and it is not a very large piece of
property. No neighbors have every requested any development. It has a lot of
buckthorn. Blank pointed out that we have we taken out diseased trees.
Northwest Greenway from Lake Camelot to near Wayzata High School. We keep
adding spaces to this system. Blank said it is a unique open space in that it is
designed to have a trail through it and designed for a lot of use. A management plan
is yet to be developed. It will be used for people walking, biking, rollerblading, and
horseback riding. Buck said the plan will need to be specific to each section
because of the variety of ecosystems involved.
Commissioner D. Anderson asked about reforestation — planting seedling trees.
Buck said it was mentioned in a few spots in the plan. He is hoping to have a
planting in the Northwest Greenway this spring. It is hard to get trees to grow where
there is a lot of heavy understory.
Blank commented that there is still much work to do before the plan is ready to go
before the Council for approval.
7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION:
PRAC Minutes/March 12, 2009
Page 5
8. STAFF COMMUNICATION:
9. ADJOURNMENT
Chair Smith entertained the motion to adjourn. MOTION was made by Commissioner
Nelson and seconded by Commissioner Vanderwall. Vote: 7 Ayes. Motion
approved. The meeting adjourned at 8:12 p.m.
The next meeting will be held on May 14, in the Council Chambers.
Donna Sankey — PRAC recorder