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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 11-12-2009MINUTES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING November 12, 2009 PRESENT: Commissioners: G. Anderson, D. Anderson, N. Carroll, J. Nelson, P. Knight, A. Vanderwall Staff: E. Blank, D. Evans, B. Abel, D. Sankey City Council Liaison: B. Stein Planning Commission Liaison: D. Kobusson City Council Member Ginny Black ABSENT: Commissioner M. Smith 1. CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair G. Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:45 p.m. at the Ice Center. The official meeting started after a tour of the facility. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion was made by Commissioner D. Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Vanderwall to approve the September minutes. Vote: 6 Ayes. Motion carried. 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Mr. Joseph Kaplan, 12105 41St Ave N. #301 spoke on his societal views and elimination of fertilizer usage. 4. REPORT ON PAST COUNCIL ACTION a. None 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Update — Greenway: Director Blank reported that we will close next week on the purchase of a 10 -acre parcel east of Dunkirk at a cost of $1,390,000. The Elm Creek Highlands at Schmidt Lake Road and Peony Lane was recently approved. The northern 40 acres will be acquired through park dedication value of $530,000 and a cash payment of $317,000. The land was appraised at $1.1 million last spring. This completes the entire western end of the Greenway. We have three more appraisals of property underway. We are making wonderful progress. The owners of one of the properties along the Greenway is not interested in selling at this time. A second set of bonds for $2.3 million will be sold in January. These will be15 year bonds. Interest rates are at a 30 year low, so now is a good time. Councilmember Stein asked if the map that was handed out at the meeting is on the web. Blank said we could put it out there, although it required a lot of explanation. Parks Superintendent Evans mentioned that the Greenway plan map is part of the comp plan, which is on the web. b. Trail plowing Blank reported that we have 136 miles of trails and 95 miles will be plowed this winter. We are using a trail counter on various locations to check on how PRAC Minutes/November 12, 2009 Page 2 many people are walking on the trails. We will continue to do this during the winter. Commissioner Carroll asked about our policy on plowing trails. Blank replied that we plow at 2.5 inches of snow and use no sand and no salt. The trails are plowed twice as often as streets because blowing snow creates a walking hazard. Commissioner G. Anderson asked if the trail counter included bikes in its count. Blank replied that it does. c. Update — Budget and C.I.P.: Blank said that the Council has been looking at the budget, and it became very difficult to make all the needed cuts. They decided that we really do need to have user fees for athletic associations. He handed out a list of cuts already made in the department. These included (among others) a clerical position, the puppet wagon, the course catalog trimmed back by 20%, reforestation eliminated, and seal coating postponed for 2 years. The Plymouth Creek Center will charge $10 for meetings for non-profit organizations. There will be a fee for the senior clubs. The CIP budget on the Hilde project was reduced to $1.2 million for the first phase in 2010; the second phase will be planned in the future. Commissioner Knight was curious about whether there were many meetings and discussions to determine the cuts or if the cuts were decided quickly. Blank said that we saw the need coming when the state discontinued payments last year. We made the decision to downsize government and keep the highest priority items. It was a year-long process. People on staff level through the directors were involved in prioritizing items. Reports were given to Council in mid summer with suggestions for various levels of cuts. The Council wanted a zero tax increase in Plymouth. All departments were involved, although hardest hit was the Planning and Building Department because of their decrease in business. The City has eliminated 23 full time positions, and we think this is a sustainable level. Commissioner D. Anderson asked whether this was done by attrition or lay offs. Blank answered that it was mostly attrition, with just a few layoffs. d. Update — 2009 Trail Project on Bass Lake Road Blank reported that this trail was paved about two days ago. Council Member Stein asked if it had been extended all the way to the gas station. Blank said yes, it did go all the way from Nathan to Zachary Lane. Planning Commissioner Kobusson asked if it would be hard to plow since it is next to the street. Blank explained that this can actually be helpful because we can use the wings of the street plows. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Review Ice Center and Fieldhouse Operation and Programs: Director Blank introduced Bill Abel, Ice Center Manager. Abel said that the Ice Center opened in 1997. Rink C opened in 2004. The total cost of the building was $14.3 million, and it contains a total 120,000 square feet. Besides the Blaine Super Rink and Excel Center, this is the largest in the state. We are known for having a clean facility with some of the cleanest rest rooms, which are heated. People really appreciate this and enjoy the building. The Minnesota Wild CEO Matt Majka has said, "Other than Excel Energy Center, the best place to be is the Plymouth Ice Center." The meeting rooms are booked so much that we are now using the smaller Penalty Box meeting room. Athletic Associations use about 95% of the time at no charge. The meeting rooms host about 60-70 birthday parties per year. Park & Rec programs also use the meeting rooms- fencing is held in the Center Ice room on Wednesdays. PRAC Minutes/November 12, 2009 Page 3 WiFi is now available. With the consistent hours we now have in the concession stand, there are more people using it, and profits are better. We have more than tripled concession sales. The concession stand offers 59 different products, and it does very well. Vending machines are also profitable, although they have declined over the years. We used to have problems with parking. Sometimes people coming to games had to park three blocks away. Now people are using the increased parking in the back, which was installed with the Rink C sheet addition. Attendance has dropped off in recent years for high school hockey games from about 500 to 350. Our rental skates have a lot of support built into them, and people like to rent them for lessons. We earn enough in rental fees to pay for their initial cost every year, and since we have used them for 12 years, profit is very good on them. Energy saving initiatives have earned us Certified Green Facility award from Total Energy Concepts. In 2007 and 2008 we exchanged lights on Rinks B & A. Surge protectors have helped extend the life of equipment and reduce maintenance. Intelligent Motor Controllers are expense saving devises, and desiccant dehumidification eliminates humidity and protects the building from decay. The gas company has cut our bill by 15% just because we have propane back-up available. The zambonis are battery operated so visitors can breathe easy. Utility costs are 245,000 for electric, $145,000 for gas, and $26,000 water, sewer and solid waste. We removed ice on Rink C for 2 months during the summer and came out ahead in expenses. Commissioner Carroll asked if it was the first time we have done that and if we have plans to do it again. Abel said it was the first time, and we would unless the rentals became higher during that time. Abel explained that the major users are Wayzata Youth Hockey Association (largest in the US), Public Open Skating, Bazzachini Hockey Training, Minnesota Showcase, the area high schools, and Minnesota All Star Hockey. Commissioner D. Anderson asked if any junior teams ask about playing here. Able said they do, but priority is given to the youth and local groups. Usage hours have gone up about 1300 hours from 1998 to 2008. The facility is open all year, usually 6:00 am to 11:30 pm. We have over 300,000 visitors per year. Commissioner D. Anderson asked whether there are adults in the learn -to -skate school. Abel said that there are a few, about 13 or 14 out of 300 students. Advertising space is sold on dasher boards, zambonis, display cases, TV monitors, and restrooms. Commissioner Carroll asked about dasher board cost. Abel said the yearly fee is $700, the 3 -year fee is $600 per year, and 3 years paid in full is $1,600. Carroll also asked about cost for zamboni advertising. Abel said it is $30,000 for 3 years. Of that $15,000 is for general advertising revenue, and $15,000 goes toward payment for the debt on Rink C. Ice Center staff consists of 71 employees, with 5 being permanent . Rental rates are 180 for winter and $165 for summer, which is equal to or lower than all the area rinks. In 2008, we had $1,366,393 in revenue and $1,400,982 in expenses, for $34,589 net. This includes $154,900 in debt repayment for the third sheet. It does not include depreciation. Commissioner D. Anderson asked how much of ticket sales goes to the school. Abel said it is applied against their ice rental for the game. Anything above that is split 60/40 with the 60% to us. Hockey tournaments bring in a lot of commerce for PRAC Minutes/November 12, 2009 Page 4 the surrounding community. Abel estimates that the facility's revenue should exceed expenses for years to come. b. NRPA Accreditation: Superintendent Evans reported that staff has made the decision to go for an Accreditation designation from NRPA. It assures the community that we meet established benchmarks for quality in service. Our goal is to be ready for the evaluation team in July or August. Accreditation status would be awarded in the fall at the NRPA conference. Commissioner Knight asked if there are levels of passing. Evans said it is all or nothing. Commissioner Carroll asked how realistic it is to achieve accreditation the first time you go through the process. Evans said it was very possible to do it, although there could be a few items to go back and rework or finish. The committee does assist you and keep you on track. Roseville, St. Paul, and Ramsey County have been accredited. Minneapolis is working on it for 2010. It is good for the department to go through this to get everything organized. Blank said that the process of getting everything down on paper is helpful for succession planning. Planning Commissioner Kobusson asked how much it costs. Evans said it is based on population. For us, it would be $1000. It lasts for five years. We must keep the documents current to resubmit. Roseville did it first locally. They had file cabinets full of documentation. Now we can do it electronically. c. Department Mission Statement: Superintendent Evans presented the mission statement. She said it has been in effect for several years, but it we freshened it up. Commissioner G. Anderson liked the fact that it covered whole life aspects. He said was clear, concise, and not too wordy. MOTION: Commissioner D. Anderson moved to approve the department mission statement. Commissioner Vanderwall seconded. Vote: 6 Ayes. 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION: None 8. STAFF COMMUNICATION: None 9. ADJOURNMENT Vice Chair G. Anderson entertained the motion to adjourn. MOTION was made by Commissioner Carroll and seconded by Commissioner Knight Vote: 6 Ayes. Motion approved. The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. The next meeting will on January 14, 2010 in the City Council Chambers. Donna Sankey — PRAC recorder