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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 05-14-2009MINUTES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING May 14, 2009 PRESENT: Commissioners: G. Anderson, D. Anderson, A. Vanderwall, N. Carroll, J. Nelson Staff: E. Blank, D. Evans, J Maas, E. Anderson, D. Sankey City Council Liaison: B. Stein Planning Commission Liaison D. Kobusson ABSENT: M. Smith, P. Knight 1. CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair G. Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. in the Council Chambers. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion was made by Commissioner Carroll and seconded by Commissioner Nelson to approve the March minutes with changes noted. Vote: 4 Ayes. Motion carried. Commissioner Vanderwall arrived after approval of minutes.) 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Athletic Associations: None. b. Volunteers: Jackie Maas spoke on the volunteer program. We had a fantastic year in 2008, with a 14% increase in participation from 2007. Volunteers supported all of the city's departments. The majority support Parks & Recreation, about 72%. We had 897 volunteers working 14,943 hours for the Parks Department. This was equivalent to $291,000 or 7.2 full time equivalent employees. The volunteers are an integral part in the success of the Parks Department. They report needed maintenance and graffiti in the parks and perform many tasks from clerical to coaching youth sports. Volunteers performed over 800 special event shifts at events such as Fire and Ice and Yard and Garden Expo. They also helped with maintenance such as painting and rebuilding features in parks. Volunteers also help in other departments such as the Police Chaplains, Fire Department administration, and Finance Department data entry and filing. Commissioner G. Anderson mentioned how amazed he was at the increase in the program. Jackie said we have phenomenal people in the area who want to contribute their time. c. Teen and Inclusion Programs: Erica Anderson spoke on her program areas. Adaptive and inclusion provides a service to people in the community who have PRAC Minutes/May 14, 2009 Page 2 children with special needs. We work with the REACH Consortium to provide programming such as bowling and social outings and dances. We have also partnered with Upstream Arts and McPhail for programming. For inclusion services, children sign up for mainstream programs, and we provide assistance so they can take part. We provided inclusion services for 197 individuals in 2007, 241 in 2008, and probably more in 2009. We currently have 129 kids for this summer. The special needs can include several things, such as allergies, asthma or autism. We have four seasonal staff to help with inclusion in the summer. Erica also talked about her teen programming, including fun programs like paint ball, the Lower Level events, and the TAG teen advisory group. An event that is coming up is Party Like It's 1919. TAG is run by teens - kids who want to get more involved - some of whom have moved on from the teen volunteer program. Erica partnered with Regina Michaud in producing the Yard & Garden Expo. It was very successful, with 1125 participants and over 100 exhibitors. Bobby Jenson and Heidi Hyland were key speakers. The Spring Eggstravaganza egg hunt was introduced this year. Erica's education courses include German and Spanish classes and financial classes sponsored by a local financial firm. The youth and adult golf leagues have over 100 participants each. The extreme sports programs include a Boundary Waters trip, a rock climbing trip, and a trip down the St Croix. Commissioner G. Anderson asked about TAG's focus. Erica answered that it was getting teens more involved and civic minded. They will be volunteering at the non- profit Feed My Starving Children. d. Staff: Superintendant of Recreation Diane Evans mentioned that in April and May, Jackie placed 355 people into volunteer positions. She provides a unique service in Plymouth. The City Sampler took place in April and over 400 people attended . The Winged Iris sculpture was unveiled in the Millennium Garden in April. It looks very nice from the ballroom windows. Our13th annual Primavera had over 950 people attend and over 80 artists with 155 pieces of art. The quality of the art was very impressive. Adult softball has started with 64 men's teams and 32 co-rec teams. The Bridal Fair had over 100 visitors. The seniors hosted a senior volunteer recognition breakfast. A new event is coming up — a bike ride to Minneapolis. Commissioner G. Anderson is leading the trip. It will be about 13 miles each way. Upcoming in May and June are 18 weddings, a Bar Mitzvah, and a 50th wedding anniversary. Staff is working on an athletic association fee policy. We are using a trail counter, which is a device to count the number of walkers on a trail. A trail at West Medicine Lake had just under 4000 walkers in seven days. The GIS system can now show us the exact distances of trails. We have a total of 136 miles of trail in Plymouth. On May 17, the Kids Garage Sale will take place. A competition called Step to It Challenge will be starting next week. We are competing against other cities to get our residents active. Entertainment in the Parks will be starting soon, with 33 park events this summer. We had a very successful grand opening for the Zachary Playfield Concession Stand. Dan Gladden and Joe Mauer were at the event. 4. REPORT ON PAST COUNCIL ACTION PRAC Minutes/May 14, 2009 Page 3 a. Approve Acquisition of Open Space Parcel: Director Blank reported that the Council approved acquisition of six acres for the Northwest Greenway. We expect to close on the purchase at the end of July. We are one parcel away from completing the Greenway from Lake Camelot to Vicksburg Lane. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Update — Greenway: Blank said that he attended a study session with the Counci to talk about the Greenway. We have acquired 11 parcels since 2000. Looking ahead, we have about 11 parcels to go. Six of the 11 will probably be dedicated, and the rest will be purchased. Because of the current economy, we are receiving inquiries from people who are interested in selling their property. The last portion in the eastern section may be acquired by the end of the year. We could start doing design work on the eastern section as early as 2010. b. Youth Sports Facility Fees Policy: Blank reported that we have had two meetings with the athletic associations with good dialogue on the basic information regarding potential fees. At the first meeting, we asked them to talk to their members. For the second meeting, seven associations attended, and they had several ideas of how they would like to handle it. Staff will draft a policy which we will email to the associations and ask for comments. We will bring a draft policy to PRAC at the June meeting and invite the associations to come and comment. If the Council wishes to implement the policy, we will go through a formal process and let the associations know for their 2010 seasons. Commissioner Nelson asked about using volunteer work by the associations to offset some of the fees. Blank said he would not rule it out. He explained that we are looking at three different types of fees: per -child, per - game, and per -hour. We will try to keep it simple so everyone understands it. Commissioner D. Anderson suggested that a per -participant surcharge would be the simplest because the city would still have control of equipment and maintenance. Blank said if we charge an hourly fee, associations could implement it as a per -child fee. One of the things we are discovering is that groups take out permits, and the fields sometimes sit empty. If they were charged for these hours, they may be less inclined to book excess time. Commissioner Nelson asked if we would loose children if the fees go up. Blank said that is an excellent point which we need to discuss. We are developing information to present to the City Council. c. Millennium Garden — continuing with phase 2 Director Blank reported that the Plymouth Rotary is planning to donate $9,000 for a viewing platform. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Recommend 2009 Trail Improvement Project: Blank explained that developers build most of the city's trails as they are building homes. However, there are areas where there are gaps in the trail system, and we build a project each year. There are five trail segments being considered this year. The first trail is on the south side of Bass Lake Road from Zachary Lane to Trenton Lane. The second trail segment is on the north side of Rockford Road between Zachary Lane and Goldenrod Lane. PRAC Minutes/May 14, 2009 Page 4 The third segment of trail would be on the south side of Medina Road from the Greenwood School entrance to Yellowstone Lane. The fourth trail would be on the south side of County Road 24 east of Highway 101 to 32nd Avenue. The fifth trail would be from the Fire Station #3 on Dunkirk Lane to the Lowes retail development along Vicksburg Lane. This trail would cross the wetland area. Blank pointed out that due to the economy, we have no money coming in right now for park dedication fees. It does not seem like a good time to do the big project through the wetland area. Commissioner Carroll asked what components go into cost. Blank said that it depends on the circumstances. If it is on a boulevard with grass, the construction is simple. If we go through a wetland, there are a lot more construction issues and challenges. Getting a paving machine into some sites can be very challenging. The Bass Lake site would take about four days, while the wetland site would take several months. Commissioner G. Anderson asked if since the Bass Lake Road site is along a county road, could the county be asked to contribute to it. Blank replied that we do talk to them about these projects, but we generally pay 100% of trail development costs. Commissioner G. Anderson commented that the wetland trail is a wonderful idea and it should not be dropped. He liked the idea that Commissioner Smith had proposed of saving this year's money and put it into next year's budget to have more money for the wetland project. Blank said he is hoping we get some park dedication money in the near future to help with this type of project. Commissioner Carroll asked about an environmental impact study on the wetland project. Blank said that would have to be done. A trail near Lowes would help provide access to the utility department for water control. Commissioner G. Anderson asked if another department could contribute towards the project if the project would be helpful to them. Blank said he could check on it. He pointed out that Medina Road was in the plans since 1975. It would have to cross this same wetland. It was hotly debated for many years, and the Council finally removed it from the plan. The trail would have been built with the road. Now we are facing building the trail, which is just about as hard as building the road. MOTION: Commissioner D. Anderson moved to approve the completion of the trail segment on Bass Lake Road. Commissioner Vanderwall seconded. Commissioner Carroll moved to table this vote because the Commission had barely a quorum present. Commissioner Nelson seconded. Vote: 3 Ayes 2 Nays. Motion to table carried. 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION: 8. STAFF COMMUNICATION: 9. ADJOURNMENT Vice Chair G. Anderson entertained the motion to adjourn. MOTION was made by Commissioner D. Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Carroll. Vote: 5 Ayes. Motion approved. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. PRAC Minutes/May 14, 2009 Page 5 The next meeting will be held on June 11, 2009, in the Council Chambers. Donna Sankey — PRAC recorder