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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 01-14-2010MINUTES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING January 14, 2010 PRESENT: Commissioners: M. Smith, G. Anderson, D. Anderson, N. Carroll, J. Nelson, P. Knight, A. Vanderwall Staff: D. Evans, E. Chua, D. Sankey City Council Liaison: B. Stein Planning Commission Liaison: D. Kobusson ABSENT: 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair M. Smith called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion was made by Commissioner D. Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Carroll to approve the November minutes. Vote: 7 Ayes. Motion carried. 3. OPEN FORUM none 4. STAFF UPDATE: a. Staff Presentation. Superintendent Evans introduced Erica Chua and announced that she received a professional award today. Erica spoke on her areas of coverage: teens, preschool, adaptive, warming houses, adult education, and special events. She announced that we have ended our formal partnership with Reach for Resources. It is still available to our citizens, but not funded through Parks and Recreation. The City Council authorized a $10,000 donation to the group. Reach for Resources provides adaptive programming for those with special needs. Our inclusion program provides resources for those with special needs to be mainstreamed into our regular programs by providing an assistant or special adaptations for them. A large number of our special needs involve allergies, especially peanut. About 18% were in the autism spectrum. Our Teen Advisory Group (TAG) is a new program that gets teens involved to help plan programs for teens. TAG included 21 students, with 96 hours of work donated by them last year. Other new programs included cooking classes. We had rave reviews on the French and Italian classes and will include other new classes this year. We have a new dog training vendor - Just Paws - which is offering a hunting dog class. A few new programs include: feng shui, First Impressions, and an overhaul of the skate park (on which TAG will have input). PRAC Minutes/January 14, 2010 Page 2 b. Farmers Market. Erica announced that Council approved the Farmers Market. She presented a list of local farmers markets in the area. Ours will be held on Wednesdays from 3:00-7:00 p.m., July 7 thru September 8, at the Lifetime Fitness/Ice Arena parking lot. There will be 15-20 vendor stalls. The price for the season will be $200 for residents and $225 for non-residents. There will be community tables for non -profits and a table for city programs. This is expected to be a break-even program, and we need to cover our costs. We have a vendor list, and applications will be sent out later this month. Location Option 1 is the upper parking lot, which is good because it is visible from the street. It does, however, have more traffic. Option 2 is the back parking lot. This has less traffic, which makes it a safer location. Commissioner Carroll said he thinks this is a great idea, but was wondering if there is enough market for it on both the consumer and vendor side. Erica said it is tough to assess, but last summer Lifetime had a one -day market that was very well received. Other local market coordinators were surprised at how well-received their markets have been. We anticipate having a good group of vendors and shoppers. Commissioner Carroll asked if they would be the same vendors that come to other markets. Erica said we expect there will be some of the same plus new local vendors. Commissioner D. Anderson said he goes to the Maple Grove Farmers Market often, and the emphasis seems to be on local customers. He thinks it will work very well and be very popular. Erica talked about joining Minnesota Grown where vendors would have to prove that their products are grown in Minnesota. Commissioner Smith asked about the crowds in the Lifetime lot, especially at 5:00. He wondered if we had considered the Plymouth Creek Center lot. Erica said the Council did consider this issue. The Plymouth Creek Center has many programs going on in the 3:00-7:00 time frame, which could cause a parking problem. It is smaller, too. The Lifetime lot has more space, and Lifetime is excited to have us there. Smith also asked whether the construction going on at the Hilde would present a challenge. Erica said it is because of this issue that she is leaning towards the back parking lot. Superintendent Evans said there is a lot less parking congestion in the summer than there is in the winter. She doesn't think the construction will effect it much. Commissioner Nelson asked why we chose Wednesdays. Erica said none of the bordering cities' Farmers Markets are on Wednesdays. St Paul and Minneapolis have very large markets on weekends. New Hope is on Saturdays. The 3:00-7:00 time frame is meant to allow the people who are home during the day to perhaps come earlier and spread out the traffic at the event. Vendors will be leaving after rush hour traffic is pretty much done. Commissioner Smith expressed concerned about 7:00 being too early for people get there after work. Erica said some vendors may come from as far as Stillwater, and we are trying to make it a good accommodation for vendors as well. We will require that they be there for the whole time frame, and they need to have adequate product on hand. Typically, they are used to restocking and marketing their products, so the shopping experience will be good for the later shoppers, too. PRAC Minutes/January 14, 2010 Page 3 Commissioner Smith asked what community groups would be there. Erica said we expect groups such as Rotary, scout groups, and other non-profit groups. Commissioner Carroll asked if they would be selling or just be there for exposure. Erica said they could do either. Carroll thought this was a great idea to have community tables, but perhaps we should not charge for these groups. Erica said that could be considered, although charging for the space creates a little bit more commitment from the group. c. Upcoming Community/Special Events. Superintendent Evans spoke on Old Fashioned Christmas, which was held at Plymouth Creek Park. We had great weather, and 750 people attended, which was an excellent turnout. The New Year's Eve event was held at the Ice Arena and Lifetime Fitness. Coming up is Fire & Ice on February 6, from 2:00-7:00 p.m., at Parkers Lake. Jackie Maas is looking for commissioner volunteers to sell s'mores at the event. It is one of the best volunteer spots, and we open it up to commissioners first. A Belgian Waffle Breakfast is coming up at the Plymouth Creek Center. The price is all you can eat for $6, and it is a fund raising event for the senior programs. The Healthy Living Fair is coming in March. Staff is working on summer activities. The Spring/Summer brochure will be in the mail the week of March 8. Registration begins March 16 for residents and March 23 for non-residents. d. City Budget & CIP Superintendent Evans reported that on December 8, 2010, Council passed the city budget. They were able to decrease the city tax for homeowners, and they aimed to provide the right kind of services for the community. Some cuts needed to be done in staff and services. For the Recreation Department, the puppet wagon and concession stand at Parkers Lake were eliminated, and the warming house program was reduced. The athletic association fee was approved with a goal to raise $100,000. Various methods for assessing the fee were considered. The method which was chosen is to charge $10 per participant. The budget also called for an administrative fee for seniors who are part of clubs or groups. The charge will be no more than $10 per senior. Employee coffee was also eliminated. Commissioner Vanderwall asked why the concession stand was cut if it was a revenue producer. Evans said that it was actually losing money, so it was more of a service than a profit maker. She also explained that each service in the city from every department was listed and ranked, then reviewed by Council. Vanderwall said he has had conversations with a couple of clubs in the area about the association fees, and they are concerned about working the fees into their budgets. With a flat $10 per participant, some associations feel it isn't fair because not every participant actually uses Plymouth playfields. Evans said this was a difficult decision for the Council to make. We talked about this in October, so the associations knew this would be in place. It is meant to get us to a total of $100,000. Vanderwall asked what will happen if other communities start charging too. Evans said some of them have been charging all along. There is no great way to do this, but we are going forward. Commissioner Smith mentioned that there is always room for refinement. Vanderwall asked if a flat fee had been considered. Evans said we looked at a variety of methods and hybrids. The most realistic was hourly, but per -participant was more simple. Commissioner D. PRAC Minutes/January 14, 2010 Page 4 Anderson said the flat fee makes the most sense because of the cost of administrating hourly permits and fees. Commissioner Nelson asked if this is going to be a permanent fee. Evans felt it would be fair to say at the present time that the Council doesn't think it will go away, although the formula may change. The Council will be watching it carefully. Councilmember Stein said he doesn't feel it will go away, and it could gradually go up. Smith asked if there were any other hits to capital projects. Evans said she didn't think so, other than that the Hilde project was broken into two projects. She will bring the CIP for the commissioners to examine in an upcoming PRAC meeting. e. Hilde Performance Center Superintendent Evans reported that the Council had decided that Phase 1 would include more of the interior improvements to the site instead of the entrance area. It will have improved handicap access. A vendor plaza for concessions will be added near the wall by the police station plus another one near Lifetime. The entry plaza will have a water fountain, decorative stone benches and seating. The plaque recognizing Al Hilde and others will be moved to this area. There will be flower plantings along the trail to a secondary performance plaza for smaller events or perhaps weddings. A trail leads down to the stage with lighting along the edge. Commissioner D. Anderson said this is very close to what we had envisioned when we walked on the trail through the area. Commissioner Smith asked about a new design for the entry. Evans said it is put on hold right now. The overall site will be graded and we will pick up more seating. The aim is to improve seating and overall use of the facility and to make it more accessible and friendly for visitors. The project will start right after Music in Plymouth and Prairie Fire Theater and will be completed in time for the 2011 Music in Plymouth. f. City Council Liaison Councilmember Stein will be back with us again as our liaison. g. Board & Commission Appointments Superintendent Evans explained that every year the Council reviews who is on the commissions and makes replacements as appropriate. We will sadly be replacing two of our commissioners and have new commissioners starting in February. Patrick Knight and Michael Smith will be leaving. Jim Zwack and Merrilee Riley will be starting in February. The Commission will need to determine a Chair and Vice Chair. Commissioner Carroll made a motion to commend the outgoing commissioners and thank them for their service. Commissioner G. Anderson seconded. Vote: 7 Ayes. Motion carried. Commissioner Smith thanked the Commission for the opportunity to serve. Commissioner Knight thanked the Commission for the opportunity to serve and for the professionalism of the organization h. Correspondence from Director Eric Blank will be coming to meetings for updates on projects. Superintendent Evans will serve as the new Liaison. PRAC Minutes/January 14, 2010 Page 5 5. NEW BUSINESS a. 2010 Work Plan - draft Superintendent Evans pointed out that we are trying to use less color in the annual report because colored ink is more expensive. She said that she provided the first 12 pages of the report, which contain a work plan put together for the commissioners' consideration. Commissioner G. Anderson asked about the trail from Lowes to Dunkirk. Evans said Director Blank has provided direction that this is the project for the CIP and it is listed at $375,000. Commissioner D. Anderson asked if there have been any turns in the economy where we can start seeing more park dedication fees. Evans said we hear about possibilities, but no money has come in yet. Councilmember Stein said two projects have been approved, and they will pay when they are platted. Commissioner Smith asked about the pedestrian bridge at West Medicine Lake Park. Evans explained that this is a replacement bridge going over the pond which connects the parking lot with the park. Smith also asked about West Medicine Lake Pavilion. Evans said the project is on hold and is in the CIP for 2014 or 2015. At some point, the Council will make a determination of whether the project will proceed or if it should be pulled from the CIP. Commissioner Carroll asked about the budget and revenue sources figures. Evans said it is a draft and the numbers are not finalized. Carroll asked why there was a drop in miscellaneous revenue for the Ice Arena from 2008 and 2009. Evans said the dollars went into different revenue budget numbers, but the total is still the same. 6. COMMISSIONER UPDATE none 9. ADJOURNMENT Chair Smith entertained the motion to adjourn. MOTION was made by Commissioner Vanderwall and seconded by Commissioner Smith. Vote: 7 Ayes. Motion approved. The meeting adjourned at 8:08 p.m. The next meeting will on February 11, 2010 in the City Council Chambers. Donna Sankey - PRAC recorder