HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Packet 04-09-1992Regular Meeting of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission
April 9, 1992, 7:00 p.m.
AGENDA
1. Call to Order
2. Approval of Minutes
3. Visitor Presentations
a. Athletic Associations
b. Staff
C. Others
4. Report on Past Council Action
S. Unfinished Business
a. Volunteer program - continue discussion
b.
C.
d.
6. New Business
a. Review request from Hewitt -Peterson and Assoc. that City
purchase their land for park
b. Request for use of soccer field
C.
d.
7. Commission Presentation
8. Staff Communication
9. Adjournment
Next regular PRAC meeting - May 14
Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting
March 12, 1992
Page 7
Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Burk, Gutzke, Johnson, Waage, Wahl,
and Watson; staff Blank, Greupner, Pederson and Peterson, Mayor
Bergman
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Anderson called the March meeting to order at 7 p.m. in the Council
Conference Room.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion was made by Commissioner Watson and seconded by Commissioner Wahl
to approve the minutes of the February meeting as presented. The motion
carried with all ayes.
3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS
a. Athletic Associations. None were present at this meeting.
b. Staff. Karol Greupner, Recreation Supervisor, made a presentation to
the commissioners on the International Folk Arts Celebration coming up
on Saturday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Wayzata East Junior
High. She explained that funding for this event came from a grant
provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through the Minnesota State
Legislature. Other sponsors include Burnet Realty -Plymouth and
Schneider USA. Additional funds will be generated by booth fees
charged to crafters and vendors and the $1 admission fee being charged
to adults and teens. Karol also stated she was looking for
individuals to volunteer for a two or three hour shift to collect
admission fees from visitors attending the event.
The employee of the month for March is Julie Sterud, who has been
working part time for the Park and Recreation Department since the
summer of 1990. She has filled many different positions including
pre-school program aide, youth Have -A -Ball instructor, playground
leader, warming house attendant and Parkers Lake pavilion attendant.
She has also volunteered for special events such as the Fire and Ice
Festival. Julie is currently a freshman at the University of
Minnesota.
Mark Peterson, Superintendent of Parks, made a short presentation on
the park maintenance department. He stated that Plymouth now has 700
acres of park land, 300 of which are maintained; and 60 miles of
trails, of which 30 are maintained in the winter. Park maintenance
crews take care of a total of 20 neighborhood parks, six playfields
which contain a total of 18 softball/baseball fields, 12
soccer/football fields, 10 hockey rinks and 20 pleasure skating rinks.
With the addition of the Bass Lake Playfield, two more ice rinks will
be added to the system. There was some discussion then regarding
dropping two of the lesser used rinks. Commissioner Gutzke wondered
if we took head counts at all of our rinks. Director Blank responded
that we take attendance at the larger rinks where we have warming
houses, but at the small, neighborhood rinks, we rely on the
maintenance crews to inform us if rinks show any signs of skaters.
March 1992 PRAC Minutes
Page 8
Director Blank indicated that the commission should discuss which
rinks to maintain during the 92-93 season at their August or September
meeting. Mark then went on to explain some of the types of
maintenance done by park crews: trail plowing in the winter,
brooming, shaving and flooding ice rinks, summer dragging, mowing, and
painting of lines on playfields, turf renovation, mowing neighborhood
and city parks and other city owned grounds, weed inspections totaling
about 650 per year, tree preservation and reforestation, identifying
and removing diseased trees. He also stated that his division
developed a winter building and rink maintenance manual, a summer
mowing manual, and a driving test designed specifically for
maintenance employees.
c. Others. Mayor Bergman attended the meeting on behalf of Councilmember
Edson, who had another commitment. He indicated that the City Council
would like PRAC to review their long term park development and park
acquisition plans and prioritize needs. He stated that the Council is
concerned about the acquisition of the Forster property since it was
not included in the 1992 CIP. The Mayor went on to suggest that land
acquisition in northwest Plymouth should be studied, perhaps in lieu
of purchasing the Forster property. Director Blank explained that the
Forster property had been included in the adopted 1991 CIP, and at the
time the 1992 CIP was being prepared, staff believed that the Forster
property would have already been in the process of acquisition, making
it unnecessary to list it in the 1992 CIP. Some adjustments have
since been made to the 1992 CIP, and once again, the Forster property
is listed for acquisition. When questioned by Commissioner Gutzke as
to the need for the Forster land, Director Blank responded that it is
the only land left available in northeast Plymouth for park purposes,
and if purchased, could be used for a number of things, including
additional parking for the Zachary Playfield or another
soccer/football field. It could also serve as a buffer from noise and
lights for the homes located west of the playfield.
Mayor Bergman also discussed the city's volunteer program and
indicated that the Council would like PRAC to get more involved in
this project.
4. REPORT ON PAST COUNCIL ACTION
The City Council accepted the 1991 Annual Report of the Park and
Recreation Advisory Commission.
5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Update on milfoil - Parkers Lake. Director Blank announced that he
has been meeting regularly with the Parkers Lake Homeowners
Association. Milfoil now rings the entire lake, and the DNR has
recommended a new treatment called Sonar. It's a fairly strong
chemical that will destroy milfoil but not other vegetation or fish.
This chemical is quite expensive at $976 a gallon. A public meeting
regarding the proposed use of this chemical is scheduled for Tuesday,
March 24, at 7 p.m., at the Plymouth City Center.
March 1992 PRAC Minutes
Page 9
b. Update on construction protects. As soon as weather permits,
construction will get underway on the three neighborhood park projects
approved in 1991. Crews will start with 10th Avenue park, and from
there go to Shiloh and then Gleanloch. Construction crews will also
get started again at Parkers Lake Playfield and Bass Lake Playfield.
6. NEW BUSINESS
a. Volunteer program discussion. Director Blank gave a brief overview of
the many volunteers used by the Park and Recreation Department and the
various projects in which they get involved. Approximately 860
individuals volunteered their time with park and recreation programs
in 1991. Some of those programs were: Adopt a Park or Trail, Firearm
Safety, Fire and Ice Festival, Goblin Walk, Junior Lifeguard Program,
Old Fashioned Christmas, Santa letters, soccer coaches, Seniors Care
and Share, gardening program, Water Safety Aide Program, and youth
dance recital. Commissioners suggested that Commissioner Waage meet
with Mayor Bergman to learn more about how the Council sees PRAC
becoming involved in volunteerism.
7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION
Commissioner Watson inquired about the status of getting a canoe rack
placed at Parkers Lake. Director Blank indicated that we have two at
Medicine Lake, and only one has been needed there. He stated he would
need a recommendation from the Park Commission to move one to Parkers. A
MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER WATSON AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER WAHL
TO TAKE ONE OF THE CANOE RACKS AT MEDICINE LAKE AND PLACE IT AT PARKERS
LAKE FOR THE PURPOSE OF RENTING THE SPACES TO RESIDENTS. The motion
carried with all ayes. Information on how to rent a space will be
available in the May issue of Plymouth News.
8. STAFF COMMUNICATION
Mayor Bergman suggested that the joint meeting with the Council take place
at the April 9 Park Commission meeting at their regular meeting time of 7
p.m. One of the items for discussion may be the sidewalk and trail plan
being prepared by Strgar-Roscoe-Fausch.
9. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
MEMO
CITY OF PLYMOUTH
3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447
DATE: April 7, 1992
TO: PRAC
FROM: Eric J. Blank, Director of Parks and Recreation FE
SUBJECT: REQUEST FROM HEWITT-PETERSON THAT CITY PURCHASE PROPERTY FOR PARK
PURPOSES
The attached letter dated March 9, 1992, from Hewitt -Peterson, outlines Mr.
Peterson's request that the City of Plymouth consider purchasing 10.4 acres of
wooded land for park purposes. The property in question lies north of County
Road 9 and immediately west of 494. On the attached graphics (A & B), this
property is shown in pink. Currently, the city has acquired two other parcels
of wooded property in this area, which are highlighted on graphic B in green.
The city's comprehensive park plan did contemplate that a portion of this
property would be acquired via dedication for park purposes. Because the
economics of trying to service this land with sewer are not practical at this
time, Mr. Peterson is requesting that the city consider purchasing additional
wooded property for park purposes. The area highlighted in yellow is future
acquisition contemplated by the comprehensive park plan. This is also
property that is mostly wet, heavily wooded on steep slopes, and will have
some difficulty in being served by sewer. I anticipate that we would secure
this property when the property to the north develops via park dedication.
There are three points to consider in this discussion:
1. Part of this property is contemplated to be future neighborhood park
as shown on our comprehensive plan. (See Attachment C.)
2. The Commission needs to decide whether it is appropriate at this time
to acquire more of the woods than what is originally shown in the
comprehensive plan.
3. What is the fair market price for this property?
I recommend the Commissioners try to visit this site prior to the meeting.
You can get there by going north on Fernbrook Lane from County Road 9 and
turning right on 44th Place. Park at the end of the cul-de-sac and walk
southeasterly down into the woods. The other way to get to the site is to go
via County Road 9, and go north on Berkshire Lane to where the road dead -ends.
At that point, you can walk northeasterly into the wooded area, and you will
see the wetlands that are laid out to the north. If anyone would like me to
accompany them, I would be happy to meet you at 6:15 prior to the Commission
meeting.
Request from Hewitt -Peterson
Page 2
Mr. Peterson is anxious to get this matter before the City Council for review
and discussion. If the Commission is comfortable making a recommendation at
your meeting this month, we would forward this matter to the City Council on
April 20. However, the Commission is not under any obligation to make a
decision this month if you do not feel you have enough information to make a
well informed recommendation.
If the Commission wishes to recommend that the City consider purchasing this
property, the only available source of funding at this time is park dedication
funds. When considering this request, the Commission should keep in mind
other land acquisition or development projects which you may wish to consider
in the next five years. As a general rule, I would tend to always put land
acquisition projects ahead of development projects. The question here is do
you wish to preserve trees, and at what cost?
EB/np
hEW'16TT
PETERSON
ASSOCIATES
7000 57th Ave. N. #121 • Crystal, MN 55428 • (612) 531-0076 • Fax (612) 531-0701
Mr. Eric Blank, Parks Director
City of Plymouth
3400 Plymouth Boulevard
Plymouth, Minnesota 55447
Dear Mr. Blank:
March 9, 1992
As a follow-up to our March 9, 1992 meeting, we are interested in
determining if the City of Plymouth wishes to acquire property for park
purposes from us along I-494 and north of the Plymouth Office Commercial Park.
In particular, we desire to initiate a plat application, but we are aware that
Plymouth has historically been interested in acquiring some of the project
site. We have recently had the attached Sketch prepared for the property, and
the following summary is offered regarding park dedication and park
acquisition:
Gross Property Area 28.7 Acres
Gross Park Area 21.2 Acres
Net Park Area (above HWL) 13.3 Acres
Required Park Dedication Area (10x) ( 2.9 Acres)
Net Park Area to be Acquired 10T1 Acres
Acquisition Cost 10.4 Net Acres @ $20,000/Acre = $208,000
Using a gross acreage basis the proposed selling price is $11,366 per
acre, calculated as follows:
Gross Park Area 21.2 Acres
Less: Park Dedication Required 2.9 Acres)
Gross Park Acyuiition 19.3 Acres
We request that you submit this proposal to the City Council in accordance
with the following schedule, as we discussed:
US.
Park Commission
City Council
April 9, 1992
April 20, 1992
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact
Very truly yours,
Hewitt Peterson
HP:jmj
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THIS IS NOT A LEGALLY RECORDED AAP. IT
REPRESENTS A COWILATION OF INFORMATION
AND DATA FROM CITY, COUNTY, AND STATE
ROAD AUTHORITIES AND OTHER SOURCES.
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CITY OF
March 19, 1992 PUMOUTR
Ivadell Farrells
1155 Kingsview Lane
Plymouth, MN 55447
Dear Ivadell:
Thank you for your kind letter of March 15. You have made a wonderful
suggestion, one which deserves further consideration and review by everyone
who is interested in helping keep Parkers Lake a beautiful, natural resource
for years to come. I have made copies of your letter available to the City
Council, the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission and the Water Quality
Commission.
I would also like to extend an invitation to you to attend a special meeting
with regard to the Parkers Lake milfoil problem, which will be held on
Tuesday, March 24, at Plymouth City Center. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m.
and will be held in the council chambers.
From your letter, you sound like a very concerned and active 71 -year-old. I
hope that you will be with us for many years to come, so you can set an
example for the youngsters in the community.
If I may be of assistance to you in any way, please do not hesitate to give me
a call at 550-5131. Again, thank you for taking the time to write.
Sincerely,
Eric J. Blank
Director of Parks and Recreation
EJB/np
cc: City Manager
City Council
Park Commission
I
3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 550-5000
IvadeffFam1Cs
1155 9r"uggA*1V La N
Mtaaeipo MN5544,-
March 15, 1992
City of Plymouth
3400 Plymouth Boulevard
Plymouth, Minnesota 55447
Attention: Mr. Eric Blank, Director of Parks and Recreation
Gentlemen:
There is just one recommendation Iwould like to suggest after
you treat Parkers Lake or any lake for that matter. I think
there should be a place by the boat launch providing boat
owners water to wash their boats off after leaving the lake.
This is the reason all of the lakes are full of milfoil and
spreading it to other clean lakes. Purhaps some young people
could be interest&d in starting this business similiar to car
washes?
We have neighbors with boats who water skiand fish in our lake,
and take their boars to other lakes to water ski and fish 3; -
We all know it takes just one little piece of
milfoil to start it in the lakes. I can't see spending time
and money cleaning up one lake unless all of them are treated.
We have a leasing law for dogs and cats in Plymouth; and there
are a few who think that is just for other people. It will be
the same few who will enjoy the clean lake and yet, will not
help keep it that way. Isn't this a shame?
Sincerely,
dl;ell Farrvadellre is
P.S.--I am 71 years old and very interested in cleaning our world
up. Haven't been driving my old 1963 Rambler Clasic over the
winter months so I do not attend some of the meetings that are
held in the evening hours. I try to make up for it by writing
my Comments. I have lived at the above address for 42 years,
and have enjoyed every year of it.
I
PAVILION CALENDAR
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY
APRIL 1992
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
BP=BIRTHDAY PARTY (4-6 YR OLDS) I 1 2 3 4
FFT=FUN FITNESS & TUMBLING (2-4 YR OLDS) I 19:30-10:30 MWO 9:15-12:15 PD
MWO=MOMS WORKOUT (FITNESS CLASS FOR MOMS AND TOTS)
PD=PLAYTIME DISCOVERY (3-5 YR OLDS) 12:30- 1:30 MWO
PS=PRESCHOOL SPECIAL (3-5 YR OLDS)
SB=STRING BAND (BAND PRACTICE)
SC=SMALL CHANGE (1-3 YR OLDS) I 4:00- 6:00 BP
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
9:30-11:30 SC 9:30-10:30 MWO 9:30-10:30 MWO 9:15-12:15 PD 9:00-12:30
10:45-11:30 FFT I PS SPECIAL
12:30- 1:30 MWO
TAP & BALLET? I 4:00- 6:00 BP
6:45- 9:00 SB
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
9:30-11:30 SC 9:00-11:00 PS 9:15-12:15 PD
EASTER ART
12:30- 2:30 PS 3:30- 7:30
EASTER ART SHAPE -UP
CHALLENGE WALK
TAP & BALLET? 6:45- 9:00 SB 4:00- 6:00 BP
19 20 2 1 22 23 24 25
9:30-11:30 SC 9:30-10:30 MWO 9:30-10:30 MWO 9:15-12:15 PD
10:45-11:30 FFT
RAIN DATE FOR
SHAPE -UP WALK
TAP & BALLET? I I 4:00- 6:00 BP
6:45- 9:00 SB
26 27 28 29 30
9:30-11:30 SC 9:30-10:30 MWO 9:30-10:30 MWO
10:45-11:30 FFT
6:45- 9:00 SB
An Article taken out of the Star Tribune which was in the parer
the week of March 2.
FOR. THE EARTH
Queen Elizabeth says time is running out to save the natural
environment from destruction.
In her annual Commonwealth Day message in Londay Monday,
broadcast internationally, she asked all people of the
Commonwealth, of which she is head, to remember they share
the world with many other living things.
The Queen appealed directly to the young people of the
Commori wea l th .
There is no time to spare," she said. "It is your future
that is at stake."