HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 12-11-20141 Approved Minutes
December 11, 2014
Approved Minutes
Park & Recreation Advisory Commission
Thursday, December 11, 2014
MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Ned Carroll, Vice Chair Greg Anderson, Commissioners: Tricia DeBleeckere, Merrilee
Riley, Michael Swanson, Aaron Vanderwall, Kipp Wyse
MEMBERS ABSENT:
STAFF PRESENT: Parks & Recreation Director Diane Evans, Deputy Parks Director Barb Northway, Recreation
Manager Regina Michaud, Office Support Specialist Sarah Josephs
COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES: Planning Commissioner Dick Kobussen
GUESTS: Richard Burkhardt
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Carroll called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Motion by Commissioner Anderson, seconded by Commissioner Riley, recommending approval
of the October 9, 2014 Park and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting minutes as written.
With all members voting in favor, the motion carried.
3. OPEN FORUM:
Introduction of Mr. Richard (Dick) Burkhardt. Mr. Burkhardt will be joining PRAC in 2015 after
serving many years as a City volunteer, most notably, he has painted hearts on over 47 miles of
City trails.
Aaron Vanderwall & Kipp Wyse have been reappointed to their positions on the Commission.
Ned Carroll will be leaving the Commission in 2015 and has been elected to the Plymouth City
Council. Mr. Carroll will serve as the Council Liaison for PRAC.
4. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS (NON-ACTION ITEMS):
4a. Recreation Operations (Regina Michaud)
Recreation Manager Regina Michaud provided an overview of recreation operations. The
primary goal of the Recreation division is to provide quality programs and services that meet the
needs of the community. They currently operate with a yearly budget of $1.7 million dollars.
The Recreation Division uses a Special Fund Budget, operating mostly through program fees
65%), tax subsidy (32%) and interest revenue/miscellaneous revenue (3%).
They offer over 2,000 programs annually; including classes, activities, and 80-100 special events.
There are four Recreation Supervisors that plan the programs and events that serve over 100,000
participants annually. The majority of participants are youth (65%). Registrations continue to be
primarily done online (73%). The Division operates 3 seasonal facilities through the year. Three
beaches are open between late-May and late-August and have 5,000-9,000 visitors, weather
depending. The Farmers Market sees around 9,000 visitors each season, between the months of
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June – October. During the winter months, five warming houses are open for open skaters. Each
season has between 5,000-7,000 skaters at the outdoor rinks.
The Recreation Division offered inclusion services to 205 youth in 2014. Most participants
received services for allergies (55%) while others received one-on-one assistance during the
program (20%). Financial services were offered to 179 youth in 2014. There is a budget of
12,000 per year to supplement program costs for Plymouth families in need of assistance.
Projects coming up include the Senior Program Transition. Due to a retirement of a contract
employee, the City will no longer be contracting with Senior Community Services. The current
Recreation Supervisors are taking over programs based on focus area. The City hired a 5th
Recreation Supervisor to plan Education & General Recreation programming. The new hire will
begin Jan 5. Staff have been working on the re-accreditation of their CAPRA status. Every 5
years the NRPA sends a team of delegates to review the Department and deem it an accredited
agency. Plymouth Parks and Recreation was initially approved in 2010. A self-assessment will
be submitted in 1 month, and in March a team will come and complete an objective review of
the department. Lastly, the department will undergo a registration software transition. The
Class system currently being used will only be supported through 2016. Two demonstrations will
be held in January of the preferred candidates. The timeline plans for implementation of the new
software in 2016. Top choices at this point are; Vermont Systems (RecTrac), which currently is
serving many cities in the area, and Arux, a MN based company that is working with 40 area
Community Education departments. Plymouth would be a Beta site for Arux to modify their
software for Parks and Recreation.
5. NEW BUSINESS (ACTION ITEMS)
5a. Park Fees/Policy (Action)
Materials were provided in packet for the updates to Park Fees and Policy in 2015. Each year
staff complete a review of market range fees with comparable cities to see where Plymouth falls.
Staff strive to stay competitive and comparable in their fees. Last year (2013), no changes to fees
were recommended. For 2015, staff is recommending a 2-5% increase based on increasing
maintenance costs. Staff would also like to add an additional fee item; Artificial Turf Field fee.
This would allow the City to save money for future turf repairs, painting, and additional costs.
These fees would be for events outside of regular practice, such as for tournaments. Staff is
recommending to not make any changes to the fee policy, but to remove numbers and amounts
so that the details would remain current over years. This increase in fees would bring in $1,500-
2,000 dollars in added revenue.
Motion by Commissioner DeBleeker, seconded by Commissioner Riley, recommending to
approve the Park Fees and Fee Policy as presented. With no objection, motion passed.
5b. Recreation Mission Update & Marketing Update (Action)
Commission members should review the Mission Statement and PR, Communication and
Marketing Plan and Evaluation plan. The mission statement will continue to be “Enhancing the
quality of life for all residents. Fostering individual and community development in all aspects –
physical, mental, social and environments.” All marketing functions are under the Park and
Recreation Director’s review and are managed by the Recreation Division, primarily the
Recreation Manager and the Office Support Specialist and Representative/Graphic Designer.
The Parks and Recreation department works with each division in cooperation with the
Communications Department to promote programs through all available media outlets.
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An Evaluation Plan was created to ensure that the Parks and Recreation Department is marketing
their programs and events as well as possible. Key factors include the timely release of
information and accuracy in information. Public feedback is received from participant surveys,
tracking participation levels and feedback giving to the Communications Department through
social media.
Motion by Commissioner Vanderwall, seconded by Commissioner Wyse, recommending to
approve the Mission Statement and PR, Communications & Marketing Plan and Evaluation . With
no objection, motion passed.
5c. 2015 Meeting Schedule (Action)
The 2015 PRAC meeting schedule was presented. Commission meetings are always held on the
2nd Thursday of month. Looking ahead, Commissioner Swanson is unable to make the January
meeting.
Motion by Commissioner Riley, seconded by Commissioner Anderson, recommending to approve
the 2015 Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting Schedule. With no objection,
motion passed.
6. COMMISSIONER/STAFF UPDATE (NON-ACTION ITEMS):
The request to bid the NW Greenway Trail project was approved at the last Council Meeting. A
few changes were made to the project due to Vicksburg Lane construction. The driving bridge
and pedestrian bridge will move to 2016. Project designers will ensure that the trail work
remains far enough out of the way of the driving bridge.
Hilde phase II construction is still underway. A brick mason is closing off sections of brickwork
through the winter. The project is running ahead of schedule. The Veterans memorial has the
wall up, but still needs the fountain, lighting, and flags added. Staff are working on a policy for
veterans to have names engraved on wall.
The Grand Opening for the PIC Training Center will be held Saturday, December 13 at 9 a.m.
On December 1, Acceleration and iBack Chiropractic moved into the space.
Staff have been approached by Breakaway Academy, a hockey education school for 4-6th
graders, to rent space at the PIC for their 2015-2016 school year. The school is comprised of
classroom work and on-ice hockey lessons and training. This rental would provide for $30-
40,000 additional revenue.
A feasibility study will be initiated to see about adding retail space to the front of the Ice
Center. The goal would be to draw in a sporting goods store to generate revenue through
leasing the space.
The parking lot at the Ice Center will be renovated in 2015 with the hope of gaining up to 100
additional parking spots. Before work begins, four separate variances will need to be approved
for the project (e.g. lighting, set-back off the road, sufficient islands/medians, street-side
parking). The project is estimated to cost $1,000,000. The City and LifeTime will split the cost
of the project 50/50.
Over 1,200 were in attendance at Old Fashioned Christmas. Santa & Mrs. Claus even stayed
late in order to greet all the kids in line. This was the first time the even was held on a
Saturday. That, and very nice weather, contributed to the high turn-out.
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The New Years Eve event will be held at the Plymouth Ice Center on Wednesday, December 31.
Fire & Ice will be held on February 7 from 3-7pm. If you are interested in volunteering, contact
Jackie Maas at 763-509-5230.
7. ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Commissioner Riley, seconded by Commissioner Swanson, recommending
adjournment of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting. With no objection, Chair
Carroll adjourned the meeting at 8:07 p.m.