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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Packet 03-09-2000Regular Meeting of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission March 9, 2000, 7 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 a. Accepted 1999 Annual Report b. Approved Change Order No. 6 for the Plymouth Creek Center S. Unfinished Business a. Comprehensive Plan update b. Plymouth Creek Center update 6. New Business a. Plymouth Creek Center Rental Rates and Policies b. C. d. 7. Commission Presentation 8. Staff Communication 9. Adjourn Next regular meeting — April 13, 2000 n\parksXslafflerlc\prac\agendas)narch.doc MINUTES OF THE PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING February 10, 2000 Page 5 Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Singer, Musliner, Fiemann, Thompson, Meyer, Wahl; staff Bisek, Blank, Pederson; Councilmember Slavik; Planning Commissioner Stein Chair Anderson called the February meeting to order at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Chair Anderson introduced Mary Meyer and Ellie Singer, recently appointed commissioners. The rest of the commissioners introduced themselves and stated how long they've been on the board. Chair Anderson also introduced Kelli Slavik, Councilmember, and Robert Stein, Planning Commissioner. Staff introductions followed. a. COMMISSIONER FIEMANN MOVED TO REAPPOINT DON ANDERSON AS THE CHAIR AND MARK WAHL AS THE VICE CHAIR OF THE PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION. COMMISSIONER THOMPSON SECONDED. MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. b#_11990X]%1I[•]0LyjI101" NI Commissioner Musliner wanted to clarify a statement in January's minutes regarding the presentation made by Karol Greupner on the events survey she conducted. The statement read that the longer the event, the higher the attendance. The statement should have read the longer the event has been in place, the higher the attendance. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER WAHL AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MEYER TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE JANUARY MEETING WITH THIS CLARIFICATION. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Athletic Associations. b. Staff. Mary Bisek announced that Recreation Supervisor Cindy Anderson had a baby boy on January 17th. She stated that Fire and Ice pictures are on display across from the Park and Recreation window. Mary thanked those who volunteered. Regina Callies is an intern with us, who helped chair the event, Mary said. She's a student at the U. This Saturday we are participating with the Wayzata School District in a workshop. On Monday, Mary and Regina are meeting with the Youth Advisory Council and discussing a possible youth coffee house. Mary said we are working on the E -connect website. This will allow people to register for classes over the Internet. PRAC members may be asked to help test the product. Mary stated that we are in the process of working with Wayzata on evaluating our contract with them. We provide swimming lessons for them and lifeguarding services at their beach. At issue is the shortage of staff and by continuing to provide services to PRAC Minutes/February 2000 Page 6 Wayzata, we may end up shortchanging Plymouth's beaches. We are going to be advertising this weekend for our seasonal clerical position. This person would work approx. 32 hours per week, beginning in March. Mary said we are working on a redesign of the cover for the Plymouth Leisure Times which will be on the front of the August issue. Mary said staff has also been working on a design of the letterhead, brochure, business cards, etc., for the Plymouth Creek Center. Commissioner Meyer asked for a definition of the Youth Advisory Council. Mary explained that Councilmember Judy Johnson started it. Director Blank said they have seven members. They have studied such things as the city curfew for youth, overnight parking in the City; they've made presentations to other cities that are thinking of forming youth councils, etc. They are going to help us come up with some programming for teens. Mary said this winter for the first time, we had a teen ski and snowboard club for 9th -12th graders. Mary said our largest teen program is employment. We train youth as lifeguards and water safety instructors and then employ them. Commissioner Musliner said that the water quality at Parkers Lake is very bad. She also said it's important when thinking about the Wayzata Beach to consider that many Plymouth residents use that beach, including her family. Commissioner Singer asked how we decided that last year's unguarded beach was successful. Director Blank said we reported no incidents there and attendance was about the same as previous years. Looking ahead, if staffing shortages continue to be an issue, we may have to go to unguarded hours at our other beaches, stated Director Blank. Commissioner Fiemann asked about where kids can go to become lifeguards. Mary said lifeguard training is expensive. She said we offer training during winter break. It costs several hundred dollars for someone to become certified. They get lifeguard training, Red Cross CPR and first aid. It's more involved than basic first aid. We have a reimbursement training program, whereby we reimburse them for half their cost if they end up working for us. If they come back and work for us a second year, we give them back another 100. The going rate for lifeguarding is $9 per hour starting wage. Commissioner Musliner was concerned about a child who fell through a slush hole during Fire and Ice. She said that apparently staff knew about it but did not barricade the area. Mary knew about the child falling through but was not aware that staff knew about the hole ahead of time. She explained what happens when the rink is made. Wherever snow is pushed up to make a berm, the ice underneath gets insulated. It's easier to fall through the ice near these berms. Director Blank said he will look into this further and get back to Commissioner Musliner. Mary discussed the Plymouth Creek Center brochure she distributed and what it contained. This packet of materials is what gets mailed to individuals interested in renting the Center. Plans are to begin renting out the facility in June. c. Others. 4. PAST COUNCIL ACTION a. The Council approved the 2000 park rental fees and policies. b. The Council approved Change Order No. 5 on the Plymouth Creek Center. PRAC Minutes/February 2000 Page 7 c. Council approved the Millennium Garden project and have given the go ahead to begin the fund raising on the project and to hire a consultant to design the garden. Director Blank explained that the garden area in City Hall's lobby is to help advertise the Millennium Garden. We're considering using a brick made of recycled glass for the Buy a Brick program. This is one of the ways residents can help fund the project. We're going to have a design competition to select the final designer. Our goal is to have a preliminary design by May. There was an article in the Lakeshore Weekly about the Millennium Garden that has already generated interest in the Buy a Brick program. Commissioner Meyer will help with the garden project because of her expertise and experience working at the Landscape Arboretum. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Comprehensive Plan update. Director Blank stated that the Comprehensive Plan meeting will begin Saturday at 9 a.m. over at the Reserve. By 4 p.m. staff hopes to have gone through the entire document. The goal is to get through it and make sure that all governing bodies are in general agreement that it's ready to be reviewed by the public. Surrounding communities also have an opportunity to review it. Director Blank said the plan is to have it adopted by the City Council and Metropolitan Council in June. Commissioner Singer thinks one of the tables is labeled wrong. Commissioner Meyer said she did not get the document. Commissioner Thompson said in order to have received it, you had to respond to a letter that had been sent previously. b. Plymouth Creek Center update. Director Blank distributed some financial information on the fieldhouse. So far the fieldhouse has been a tremendous success. We took in $21,000 in November in revenue, in December $25,895. In January, we took in $40,000+. We expect this trend to continue. The bubble is scheduled to come down in late April. We need 40 strong individuals to disassemble the dome. The expenditures for staff is quite low. Estimated gas bill to be $45,000 for six month season. Electric bill is right on. When Director Blank looks at the whole six months, estimates surplus revenue to be between 75,000 and $90,000. The excess revenue will go into a fund to cover replacement costs for the turf and the fabric dome. Director Blank said we have a tremendous walking program. It just keeps expanding. Staff is keeping track of all the walkers. At the end of the indoor season, we will have a full report on the revenue and we might be able to lower the rate for Plymouth groups using the fieldhouse. Soccer, lacrosse, girls fastpitch softball and walking are the four major programs going on there. Commissioner Musliner is on the Early Childhood Education Board through Wayzata School District. She's hoping we can hold some type of open gym time at the fieldhouse during the day for pre—schoolers. Director Blank is looking forward to finding groups to use the fieldhouse during those open daytime hours. One such group would be the children who are home—schooled. Director Blank reported on the progress at the Plymouth Creek Center. He said the bathroom tile is in, the floors are in, painting is going on, workers are hanging the ceiling, etc. Major completion is scheduled for the end of March or early April. We selected all PRAC Minutes/February 2000 Page 8 the furniture for the building yesterday, including office furniture and banquet room furniture. This came in $15,000 under budget. The furniture should be delivered March 27. We hope to have some programming in there by mid-April. The caterer has been meeting with wedding parties. Chair Anderson wanted to know if we would have a meeting there sometime. Director Blank said at least once a year we'd meet there. c. Approve 1999 Annual Report. Director Blank went over the 2000 work plan. He said golf could become an issue that needs to be reviewed within a year as opposed to three years. Commissioner Musliner said she saw an article about bark parks in the January parks magazine. There is a lot of interest in bark parks all across the country. Director Blank said there is an archive on the Internet through NRPA where you can look up information on any topic relative to parks and recreation. Director Blank explained that the annual report is a historical document. He explained that we've been doing this for 20 years. It's an ordinance requirement, so this document must be approved by the Parks Commission. Commissioner Thompson asked about the decline in team sports as noted on pg. 14 and thought that this should be addressed. Mary explained that kids coming out of high school are not going into adult softball programs in the same numbers as they used to. Commissioner Thompson also wants more years compared regarding the budgeted expenditures on pg. 8, and she would also like previous years' figures for the Ice Center shown on pgs. 22-23. Commissioner Musliner suggested moving the title Sources of Revenue over to the right on pg. 8, so that it's not over the title Expenditures. Commissioner Musliner asked for an explanation of the Tree Trust organization. Director Blank said they've been working with the City for 20 years. This is a non-profit group of young people that are hired to work on numerous projects. They are supervised by University of Minnesota forestry students. They started planting trees as their very first project, hence the name. Chair Anderson asked if the City still uses ICWC crews. Director Blank said yes. Commissioner Singer said that of all the orientation materials she received, the Annual Report was the most helpful. COMMISSIONER SINGER MOVED TO APPROVE THE 1999 ANNUAL REPORT. COMMISSIONER WAHL SECONDED. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. 6. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business. 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION None. 8. STAFF COMMUNICATION Director Blank talked about the possible need for a third sheet of ice at the Ice Center. We've had to turn kids away from the Learn to Skate program. He said that two weeks ago, the MN Wild faxed to all cities in the metropolitan area a request for proposal to build the MN Wild a training facility. The MN Wild would rent five hours a day from the community that is awarded this proposal. They want ice time seven days a week, 11 months a year. It would be difficult to give them this much time, unless we add another sheet. We have to respond by 4 p.m. Friday. We need to solve the parking problems we have there now. If we build a third PRAC Minutes/February 2000 Page 9 sheet of ice, it can only go on the east side of the building. This would take away some of the parking spaces. We need to generate 260 more parking spaces. We may have to build a parking ramp. We've talked to the Wayzata Hockey Association about a contribution from them to help with this parking issue. Director Blank said the ice arena is turning a profit of 100,000 a year. A third sheet of ice would be almost all profit. Commissioner Fiemann asked about the demand on the current rinks. Director Blank said we open at 7 a.m. and close at 11:30 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday nights we close at 1 a.m. Director Blank is confident that we could fill up a third rink several months a year. During the non -demand months, we could use it for other activities by removing the ice. Commissioner Fiemann asked if the City Council is looking into the parking problem at LifeTime. Director Blank said the President of LifeTime is willing to work with us on this issue. Director Blank feels that an additional 100 stalls will solve the parking problem 95% of the time. Director Blank said the east parking lot is always full whenever any type of big game is going on. Even if we don't go with a third sheet of ice, we have to look at solving the parking problem. Planning Commissioner Stein stated that this was his last meeting, and he wanted to congratulate the Park Commission. He thinks this group contributes more to the City than any other committee. A new Planning Commissioner will be appointed to attend the rest of the meetings in 2000. 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. DATE: March 6, 2000 TO: PRAC FROM: Eric Blank, Director of Parks & Recreation SUBJECT: Rental Rates for Plymouth Creek Center Attached, please find a report from Rick Busch, Plymouth Creek Center Manager, regarding the proposed rental rates for the center. Earlier this year, the Park Commission and City Council adopted rental rates for the Plymouth Room at the Plymouth Creek Center. This was necessary so that Rick could begin to book the weddings that had been contacting him in recent months. This report now contains the rest of the rooms throughout the facility and proposed rental rates for them. Rick will be present at the Commission meeting on Thursday evening to present his recommendations. Please keep in mind that once the rental rates are approved, they are not set in stone. We will be back in January, as we do every year, with a review of the rental rates of all the facilities throughout the park system. If after seven months of operation we find it necessary to make changes, we can do it at that time. These rates do not apply to the Senior Program which is run through the Park & Recreation Department. These rates are solely for the private enjoyment of the facility. We will continue to offer the facility free of charge to Plymouth non-profit civic groups. However, we do expect that this will be limited because we are anticipating that the majority of time the facility will be booked for Park & Recreation and senior citizen activities. Obviously, rentals can only take place during those times when it is not used for those activities. Plymouth Creek Center Rental Rates & Policies Explanation and Justification From Rick Busch, Facility Manager The full Plymouth Room rates were endorsed by the Council in September of 1999. They were based primarily on the market. The partial room and other meeting room rates are mostly scaled down from the full room rate according to occupancy. Other considerations are the current rental rates for other City meeting rooms (Ice Arena, Parkers Lake Pavilion, and Bass Lake Park Shelter) and rates for similar rooms in other communities. Rental Rates: Non-profit Resident Non-resident Occupancy Civic Groups Groups Groups Plymouth Creek Center Meeting Rooms 50 Free 15/hour 30/hour Plymouth Ice Arena 40 25/hour 25/hour Parkers Lake Pavilion 65 30/hour 40/hour 50/hour Bass Lake Park 65 Free 20/hour n.a. Maple Grove Community Center 40 5/hour 10/hour 15/hour Crystal Community Center 50 12/hour 27/hour 44/hour Eden Prairie Community Center 40 Free 15/hour 25/hour Chanhassen Community Center 60 Free 10/hour 15/hour Golden Valley Community Center 70 Free 25/hour 35/hour Other Rentals: Slide LCD Projector & Overhead Projector TV VCR Screen Projector Flip Chart Microphone Crystal n.a. n.a. 5 5 3 n.a. St. Louis Park n.a. 25 10 10 10 n.a. New Brighton n.a. 20 10 10 n.a. 5 Maple Grove $25 15 10 10 5 5 Plymouth $20 15 5 5 Free 10 n. a. = not available Piano Rental: Golden Valley 50/day Minnetonka no charge Plymouth 25/day We reserve the Plymouth Room for full room rental from 6:00 p.m. Friday through 6:00 p.m. Sunday. Those rates are set for large receptions using large blocks of time (6 hours minimum with the option for more hours). On Sunday evening through Friday afternoon, the Plymouth room can be halved or quartered and rented at hourly rates with a two hour minimum. The Fireside room, which will be reserved most weekdays until 4:00 p.m. for seniors activities, can hold 25 people and contains some more comfortable lounge seating. It rents for $15/hour for residents and $25/hour for non-residents. We project it will mainly be requested for overflow for large wedding receptions. Our two meeting/craft rooms seat up to 50 people and rent for $15/hour for residents and 30/hour for non-residents. Many recreation classes will be held in these rooms, along with public meetings. Plymouth non-profit civic groups will be allowed on rent-free meeting per month. One quarter of the Plymouth Room holds 72 people and rents for $30/hour for residents and 45/hour for non-residents. The southeast quarter offers a wood floor and stage. Half Plymouth Room seats up to 168 and rents for $501hour for residents and $75/hour for non-residents. The Plymouth Room seating is based on 8 people seated at 15 foot diameter round tables. The different table configurations cause the capacities to be less than 1/2 and 1/4, of the full room capacity. Plymouth Room capacities will increase with theater style seating. Generally speaking, the larger the space you rent, the cheaper it is per occupant. However, when you use the full Plymouth Room, you are committing to a six hour minimum. PLYMOUTH CREEK CENTER Rental Rates Resident Non -Resident Full Plymouth Room Seating up to 352 at round tables for eight 10 for 30 cups Overhead Projector Monday —Thursday (up to 6 hours) 250 350 Friday - Saturday (up to 6 hours) 650 750 Sunday (up to 6 hours) 400 500 Additional 1-16urs 50 75 Half Plymouth Room Whiteboards & Markers free Seating up to 168 (available Sunday 6 p.m. to Friday 40/day 6 p.m.) Monday — Thursday & Sunday evening 50 75 per hour with 2 hour minimum) Quarter Plymouth Room * Seating up to 72 (available Sunday 6 p.m. to Friday 6 p.m.) Monday — Thursday & Sunday evening 30 45 per hour with 2 hour minimum) Meeting Rooms 1& 2 Seating for 50 per hour with 2 hour minimum) 15 30 Fireside Room * Seating for 25 (Per hour - minimum 2 hours) 15 1 $25 Por these room rentals, ij the center is not otherwise open jor city activities, you wilt ve charged an additional $101hour for a building supervisor. Non-profit civic groups are allowed one meetingper month rentfree but are subject to building supervisor fees. OTHER CHARGES Slide Projector 5/day Coffee for non -catered events) 10 for 30 cups Overhead Projector 5/day 15 for 50 cups TV & VCR 15/day Piano 25/day LCD Projector 20/day Flip Chart free Wireless Microphone 10/day Whiteboards & Markers free Projection TV 40/day PLYMOUTH CKEEKCENTEK ROOM RENTAL APPLICATION FORM This application must be tilled out completely by an adult (contact person). All youth participating in a rental must have adult supervision at all times. All apprepriate fees and deposits must accompany this form prior to the application being approved. Date of event: Name of applicant: Address: City: Home phone: Name of organization (if applicable): Purpose of use: Time guests to arrive: Number of people you expect: Name of bride & groom (if applicable): _ Church location & wedding time (if wedding Room Requested: Date of application: State: Work phone: Leave Will alcoholic beverages be served? Zip Full Plymouth Room 1/2 Plymouth Room 1/4 Plymouth Room Meeting Room Fireside Room Equipment: (* indicates available in Plymouth Room only) Slide Overhead LCD Projection Wireless Projector Projector Projector TV* Piano* Flip Charts Microphone* Upon application approval, the City of Plymouth shall make available to the holder of this permit the Plymouth Creek Center's facilities for use on the date specified, and shall provide custodial services, building supervision, and police services (if required). The City reserves the right to exercise supervisory authority and to prevent unauthorized or illegal activities on City property. The City shall not be responsible for interruptions of the use of the described facilities for reasons beyond its control, and reserves the right to cancel this permit for reasons of public safety or convenience. I (We) represent and agree that I (we) have read and understand the information regarding the use of the Plymouth Creek Center, including cancellations procedures, liabilities and responsibilities assumed, times and curfews, and maximum room capacities. I (We) further understand that this is only an application for use which provides me (us) with no assumed or implied rights for. use until written approval is received. I (we) further understand that fees paid are refundable only in accordance with City policies recited in the Policy For Use of the Plymouth Creek Center. Specifically, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the holder of this permit agrees to save, defend and hold harmless the City for any damages to City personnel, facilities, equipment or other City property, or to the property and/or person of any third party resulting from the use authorized hereby. The City shall not be liable for death or injury of anv such person occurring as a result of the use of the facilities authorized hereby. Signature of Applicant Date Please make checks payable to the "City of Plymouth" PLYMOUTH CREEK CENTER Rental Policies We are prepared to do whatever it takes to make your event a success. To aid in this and to clearly communicate policy, we ask that the contact person for your event read this contract and abide by it. If at any time you have questions, please contact us immediately. RENTAL PROCEDURES: 1. Full Plymouth Room Rentals: a. Tentative reservations will be held up to two weeks until a deposit equal to 50% of the base rental cost is received. Balance of rental and a damage deposit of $300 are due no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the event date. Pending a post event facility review by PCC staff, the deposit will be refunded within ten (10) days of the event, or applied to any balance. b. Residents may reserve time up to 18 months in advance of the event. Non-residents may - reserve up to 12 months. c. One contact person should be designated to oversee all arrangements with the PCC. This will help ensure a quality event for the renter. This person is responsible for making an on-site appointment with the PCC banquet representative to finalize arrangements a minimum of two 2) weeks prior to the event. The PCC and its employees are not responsible for any problems that occur with any event that has not had an on-site meeting with PCC staff. 2. All Other Room Rentals: a. Tentative reservations will be held up to seven days before the full rental and deposit are due. For these rooms, a $200 damage deposit is required. b. The rooms can be reserved up to 3 months in advance for Plymouth groups and two months for non -Plymouth groups. 3. The renter may cancel a reservation by giving written notice to the PCC. If received thirty (30) days or more prior to the date of the event, 50% of the deposit will be refunded. 4. The facility may not be sublet by the renter, nor may the application be transferred or assigned. 5. The kitchen is off limits to anyone other that the food and beverage provider and PCC employees. 6. Under certain conditions, PCC staff may be forced to cancel a lease agreement prior to the event. Possible reasons for cancellation include, but are not limited to: a declared state of emergency, unsafe environmental or health conditions, or interrupted utility services. In such an event, the renter agrees that the City of Plymouth shall not have responsibility for anything the renter may suffer or incur due to such a cancellation. The City will attempt to notify the renter as soon as possible if such cancellation occurs. All fees paid to the City by the renter shall be refunded to the renter if the reservation is canceled by the PCC for any of the above reasons. 7. Permit holders may not charge admission for their event unless approved by the PCC manager. SET-UP/DECORATIONS: 1. Rental fees include setting up tables, chairs, PA system and bars by staff the day of the event. 2. Affixing anything to the walls, floor or ceilings or in public areas is not permitted unless prior approval is received from PCC staff. Candles used for decoration must have flames contained. 3. All decorations must be removed from the PCC or put in trash bags following the event. 4. Full Plymouth Room renters will be allowed up to two hours for decorating either the day of the event or the previous night depending on the PCC schedule. The PCC banquet representative will coordinate decorating hours at least two weeks prior to the event. Any deliveries should be made during the decorating hours unless other arrangements have been made. LIABILITYANSURANCE: 1. The renter assumes full responsibility for its group's conduct and for any loss, breakage, or damage to the rooms, equipment or other PCC property. 2. The City of Plymouth is not liable for any loss, damage, injury, or illness by the users of the facilities in the PCC. Neither Plymouth nor its employees can be held responsible for any items that are left at the facility by the renter or contracted service provider. The renter using the facilities, equipment, and other items owned by the City further assumes all liability for any personal injuries, including death, caused by participants at the scheduled event. SECURITY/CONDUCT: 1. Smoking is prohibited in all interior areas of the building. Smoking is allowed on the outdoor deck located on the north and west sides of the building. 2. The renter is required to contract with the Plymouth Police Department for security when alcohol is served during the event. The Plymouth Creek Center staff will arrange this service. The fee for the police officer is $35 per hour with a four (4) hour minimum. The renter is otherwise required to supervise conduct of their group. This is not required for a champagne toast. 3. Persons attending events must confine themselves to the rooms and corridors assigned to their use. No alcoholic beverages will be allowed outside the banquet room and deck area. 4. Final service of intoxicating beverages (last call) shall be thirty (30) minutes before consumption must cease. Consumption of intoxicating beverages must cease at the conclusion of the event or at 11:30 p.m. whichever occurs first. 5. Under no circumstances will the renter or anyone in their party be allowed to bring any beverages including liquor, beer and pop into the Plymouth Creek Center. 6. Sound levels for bands and audio equipment will be controlled and maintained at a level set by building management. All music will cease at midnight to comply with scheduled closing times. 7. All events must end no later than 12:00.p-nT., and all individuals attending must vacate the building no later than 12:15 a.m. 4OPW M , J N ' S Wr 8. All persons attending any event on PCC property shall abide by the policies of the Plymouth Creek Center. At their discretion, PCC staff, his/her authorized representative or a peace officer may: a. Order the removal of any offender. b. Order immediate removal of all intoxicating liquor from premises. c. Revoke the permit immediately and order all persons from the premises. 9. Confetti, bird seed, rice and other like items to be thrown in celebration are strictly prohibited. FOOD AND BEVERAGE: To ensure high quality and consistent service, the City of Plymouth has contracted Suzanne's Catering as the sole food and beverage provider for events at the PCC. Information on menus and costs are available through Suzanne's special event coordinator. Mr. Eric Blank Plymouth Parks and Recreation Dept. 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN. 55447-1482 Ben Torborg 1772025 1h Ave. N Plymouth, MN. 55447 January 21, 2000 Dear Mr. Blank, My family has lived on 25th Avenue for about thirteen years. When we first moved here there was a city maintained ice rink across the street on Olive Pond. My brother, sister and I really like to ice skate, and the many new families that have moved here with young children would greatly appreciate a city maintained ice rank on Olive Pond again. I know that the Plymouth Parks and Recreation is really busy maintaining other ice rinks in the area and have other winter activities to do, but it would mean a whole lot to my family, and the neighborhood would really appreciate this ice rink. New people in my neighborhood have moved into the houses around me and most of those new ones have young kids my age or younger. By having this ice rink in the neighborhood it would give kids something to do rather then playing in the streets or getting in trouble. This ice rink will bring more fun to my neighborhood. All I want is for the city to keep Olive Pond shoveled off and the old light at the beginning of the park to work again, like old times. I am asking for about a half-hour of the city's time to keep the snow scraped off the ice and the city's cooperation in fixing the old light. In return for doing this my family will do all we can to keep the park as clean as possible. Please let me know if there is anything else we can do. think that other families will take part in cleaning up the area also. I hope that you take this matter into consideration and help to make Olive Pond an ice rink again. It would really make a difference in our neighborhood. Respectfully, W-0 Ben Torborg February 24, 2000 Ben Torborg 1772025 th Ave. N Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Ben: rle CITY OF PLYMOUTR Thank you for your recent letter regarding the Olive Pond skating rink. You are absolutely correct; for many years, in the early 1980's, the City did maintain a rink on Olive Pond. However, in recent years as the City has expanded its park and recreation facilities around the community, it was necessary to make certain adjustments to our skating program. During the last five or six years, the City has chosen to shut down many of the small pond type rinks throughout the community. One of the primary reasons was not only the safety of the maintenance workers but the potential safety for users. Shallow ponds, with weeds around the parameter, can be very dangerous to users. Also, the City has undertaken the addition of other large skating facilities, such as the facility at Parkers Lake to substitute for some of the very small rinks that were in other areas. It has been more cost effective to maintain one large rink rather than four or five smaller rinks. Ben, I will forward your letter on to the Plymouth Park and Recreation Advisory Commission and City Council so they are aware of your request. Next fall, when we are reviewing our rink situation, we will consider your request when we're making our final decision on which rinks will be maintained for the 2000-01 winter. At this time, my best guess is that the City would not undertake maintaining the rink on the pond. However, I would be willing to make a deal with you. If you can round up enough interest in the neighborhood to shovel the rink yourself and maintain it, I would be willing to have the spotlight repaired and put back on an electrical timer, so that you would have light by the rink. If this would be of interest to you, please let me know. I can be reached at 50925201. Sincerely, Q EOL" c.i.f// j`— Eric J. Blank, Director Parks and Recreation EB/np Cc: PRAC City Council PLYMOUTH ADeautiJuf Pface To Live 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000 b,.a..wF.. www.ci.plymoulh.mn.us Plymouth Millennium Garden Project Buy a Brick" m Name Address City Phone Numbers Home Fax State Zip Work Amount per brick: $50 Check # Or Credit Card # Exp. Date Inscription 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DDDDDDDDI-10F 11:1 1-1 F-1 F-1 [ I El El F] F-1 El F] [I [I Leave a space between each word. Use capital letters. Fill out one form for each brick. Please review your wording very thoroughly and sign below that it is correct. Signature Please call 559-5200 for more information.