HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 10-13-2011MINUTES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING
October 13, 2011
PRESENT: Commissioners: G. Anderson, N. Carroll, M. Riley, A. Vanderwall, J. Vecere
Staff: D. Evans, D. Sankey, B. Abel
Planning Commission Liaison: D. Kobusson
City Council Liaison: Bob Stein
ABSENT: K. Wyse, J. Zwack
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Carroll called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION was made by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Riley
to approve the September minutes with corrections provided at the meeting.
Vote: 4 Ayes. Motion approved.
Note: Commissioner Vanderwall arrived after this vote.
3. OPEN FORUM
4. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS (NON -ACTION ITEMS):
a. Staff Presentation: Bill Abel, Ice Arena Manager
Bill Abel announced that he recently received an award for having 31 years of service
in the ice arena industry. The Plymouth Ice Center has three ice sheets - one Olympic
and two professional size. This is the home of Wayzata High School hockey, both
boys and girls. They both play their games here and flip flop for practices. Armstrong
High School boys and girls also have also played their games here and flip flopped
with their practices. Providence Academy plays here as well.
We more than doubled the size of tournaments with the addition of the third ice sheet.
We hosted 22 tournaments last year. These bring in a little over $2 million annually to
the surrounding community. We have 480,000 visitors each year. We have a 31/2 -
person full time staff. The 70 part time staff includes: 12 staff in the skate school, 23
staff in the concession stand, 16 zamboni drivers, and 14 ticket takers, announcers,
scoreboard workers, etc. Utilities cost is $245,000 for electricity, $145,000 for gas, and
126,000 for water and sewer. Removing one sheet of ice during summer months
saves a lot of maintenance money, and that is the slower rental time of year.
We recently added doors to the lower lobby. Coldness from the ice used to come into
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the lower lobby and up the steps. Adding the doors cost $40,000, which was paid by
26,000 in stimulus money, $13,000 in rebates from utility companies, and $1,000 out
of our pocket. The doors have made a huge difference and paid for our part of the
price in energy savings in the first three months. The bathroom counters' laminate is
bubbling and falling off. We were planning to fix two bathrooms this year and two next
year. We decided to do all four this year because the contractor came in with a good
bid to do them all at once. Director Evans asked about a new kind of hand dryer for
the bathrooms. Abel said they are trying out different models. People do not seem to
like the Dysen dryers. They like paper towels. We will try them again.
The desiccant dehumidifiers are controlled manually. We just installed desktop
software to control them, and we now have much better control. We had purchased
an evaporative coolant tower a while back and put it in storage to have on hand. It
takes ten weeks to have one built and shipped. If it broke down, we would be going a
long time without ice. The current one is starting to give some indication that it will
soon need replacing, so it will be switched out next summer. We will need to replace
the roof on Rink A and the lobby and office area in 2013 since it has been leaking
when it rains. The cost is $600,000. Rink B will need replacing in the next couple of
years, too. The zambonis have a 15-18 year lifespan. The Rink A zamboni is at
320,000 miles. Some facilities are having many problems with air quality issues. Our
zambonies have always been all electric, so air quality is not an issue. Replacement
cost for a zamboni is $117,000. Refurbishing is $15,000, so we will look into this. The
scoreboard is out of date and uses a DOS system. We will need new carpet in
meeting rooms, new speakers, new compressors, and other equipment.
Olympic rinks are 200 feet long and 100 feet wide. Professional rinks are 200 feet long
and 85 feet wide. Youth teams prefer the professional size. We are considering
changing the size of Rink A. Doing so could possibly add a dry land training space in
the additional 15 feet of space that opens up. The project would cost approximately
1 million. Chair Carroll asked about operational savings from making the rink smaller.
Abel said there would be 27% less operating cost for that rink. It would also save on
wear and tear on the systems.
The Coca Cola contract ends in January, 2012. They gave us the scoreboard at the
start of the contract. Perhaps we could get a new scoreboard or something at the start
of a new contract. We will be talking to Coke and Pepsi.
Abel said that Armstrong Hockey wants to pull out of renting here next year. We would
lose about $30,000 in rentals. We will be talking to them to see how this develops.
Director Evans asked him to elaborate on the reasons. Abel explained that Armstrong
feels like they play a secondary role to Wayzata here. In addition, the girls like the
professional size rink better.
We just signed a $10,000 advertising contract with Totino's, which is shared 40% with
Wayzata Youth Hockey. Commissioner Anderson asked if would we sell the old
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scoreboard if we get a new one. Abel said we would probably move it to Rink B.
5. NEW BUSINESS (ACTION ITEMS):
a. Ice Center Fees
Bill Abel said that we try to keep the cost of skating and playing hockey down. Every
year, revenue has exceeded expenses. We have about $1 million set aside. The
Finance Department would like us to put $50-60,000 away each year. We are still
paying back construction costs on Rink C. Director Evans asked how much longer we
have to pay on this loan. Abel said we have nine years left. Our prices are currently
lower than most of the rinks in the area. If we go up to $190 per hour, we would still be
in the middle. We also offer more services than other rinks. The $10 per hour increase
would equate to about $60,000 per year.
MOTION: Commissioner Anderson moved to approve a $10 per hour increase in the
ice rental rates at the Plymouth Ice Center. Commissioner Vecere seconded. Vote: 5
Ayes. Motion approved.
b. 2012-2016 CIP
Director Evans presented the CIP. One item, the splash pad, was removed by Council
in a draft review. We could re-examine this issue and bring it back before Council in
the future.
MOTION: Commissioner Riley moved to approve the 2012-2016 CIP. Commissioner
Anderson seconded. 5 Ayes. Motion approved.
c. Grant Applications
Director Evans reported that we have submitted two grant applications. One was for
the replacement of the turf at the Fieldhouse. The other was for Greenwood Playfield,
where we would be adding improvements such as storage, a picnic pavilion and
batting cages. The grant would be $70,000, and Wayzata Baseball would contribute
50-60,000. Council voted to support applying for this grant. We should hear by
January.
6. COMMISSIONER/STAFF UPDATES
Director Evans spoke on the following topics:
o Plymouth Dog Park Update
The Dog Park parking lot is open again, and the landscaping is done. People are
happy with it. They will be drilling a well for the water. We are planting 30 trees and
installing toys and play items for the dogs.
o Skate Park Update
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The Skate Park is 70% done. A specialized company poured the ramps. It is really
exciting and looking very good. There is a buzz in the community. By the end of next
week, it should be complete. Commissioner Riley asked if there would be a ceremony
for the opening. Evans replied that we will have a "soft opening" in November and a
larger grand opening in the spring.
o Playfield Lighting Project Update
The lighting project is almost done. Evans has spent several nights walking the
facilities and checking light levels. Muska needs to come back and do a few
adjustments. It should be ready to go to Council with the final close out very soon. We
had about $80,000 in change orders. We had a contingency of $150,000, so it went
very well. We have had many positive comments from users and park neighbors.
o Upcoming Community/Special Events
Plymouth on Parade had 3,100 in attendance. It was a very nice event. A new feature
was an acrobatic group that performed for the kids. The Fire Department 5K had 400
runners.
Halloween at the Creek will be on October 31. The dome goes up tomorrow, weather
permitting. We can't put it up if it is windy.
Old Fashioned Christmas is December 4.
Commissioner Riley asked how the Farmers Market season went. Evans said it went
very well. Yesterday was to be the final day but there was too much wind and rain, so
it was cancelled.
7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION
Commissioner Riley said the refurbished dog park looks lovely. She suggested that the
small dog area be made available to old and frail dogs. She goes frequently to the Crystal
Dog Park because it is fenced. It is a non -used hockey rink, and it gets a lot of use as a
dog park. Brooklyn Park used a sledding area, with a fence provided by Home Depot to
make their dog park. These are "city dog parks" She would like to explore adding a
second dog park in Plymouth that is less wild than our current one. Commissioner
Anderson commented that the current park location is less accessible to many people, so
this would be worth exploring. Director Evans said using hockey rinks might be a
possibility. Riley said that the percentage of homes with pets is rising faster than homes
with children. Evans said staff would do research and get back to PRAC.
Commissioner Riley talked about an article in the StarTribune about "little free libraries".
This is a neighborhood program where people put books in little buildings built for this
purpose, and other people can borrow books from them.
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7. ADJOURNMENT
Chair Carroll entertained the motion to adjourn. MOTION was made by Commissioner
Riley and seconded by Commissioner Anderson. Vote: 5 Ayes. Motion approved. The
meeting adjourned at 8:31 p.m.
The next meeting will be on December 8 at Plymouth City Hall.
Donna Sankey - PRAC recorder