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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes 02-11-20161 Approved Minutes February 11, 2016 Approved Minutes Park & Recreation Advisory Commission Thursday, February 11, 2016 MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Merrilee Riley, Commissioners: Greg Anderson, Dick Burkhardt, Tricia DeBleeckere, Michael Swanson, Aaron Vanderwall MEMBERS ABSENT: Vice Chair Kipp Wyse STAFF PRESENT: Parks & Recreation Director Diane Evans, Deputy Director Barb Northway, Plymouth Creek Center Manager Susan Muelken, Project Coordinator Sonya Rippe, Recreation Supervisor Kari Hemp, Rental Coordinator Angie Dehn, Office Support Specialist Sarah Josephs COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES: Councilmember Ned Carroll 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Riley called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Commissioner DeBleeckere, seconded by Commissioner Swanson, recommending approval of the January 14, 2016 Park and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting minutes as written. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. 3. OPEN FORUM: 4. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS (NON-ACTION ITEMS): 5. NEW BUSINESS (ACTION ITEMS): 5a. Old Rockford Road Trail Gap - Sonya Rippe (ACTION) The trail gap along Old Rockford Road, between Vicksburg Ln and Dunkirk Ln has been designated as trail gap #49. At the September 11, 2014 Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting, the Commissioners approved making trail gap #49 a priority for completion. On March 23, 2015 the City Council authorized the application for the Hennepin County Capital Improvement Plan – 2015 Bikeway Program Discretionary Resolution 2015-075). The project would involve paving a 750’ long trail along the south side of Old Rockford Road. In the process, some trees will need to be removed from the right of way in order to have room for the trail and slopping to ensure proper storm water drainage. In conjunction with this project, the County has planned to complete a mill and overlay of Old Rockford Road during this same time period. The proposed cost of the trail project is $374,235. The Parks and Recreation Department has received a $100,000 cost-sharing grant from Hennepin County for this specific trail gap. A caveat with the grant is that the project must be completed in the 2016 calendar year. Within the CIP for 2016 there is currently $410,000 budgeted for completing trail gaps. 2 Approved Minutes February 11, 2016 A public open house was held prior to the regular PRAC meeting on Thursday, February 11. Over 180 invitations were mailed out to residents living along or near the proposed trail gap project. There were 18 recorded attendees whom attended the open house. A complete list of comments is attached to the minutes. Carmen Castaneda of 4185 Yuma Lane N spoke on behalf of the Summer Creek Homeowners Association. Ms. Castaneda shared that there are five units within their development that face Old Rockford Road. The Summer Creek Homeowners Association supports the construction of the trail gap. They believe it will add beauty to the area, safety, and increase the quality of life for those living nearby. They believe the stretch of road on Old Rockford Road, between Yuma Ln and Vicksburg Ln, is a very dangerous section for those trying to walk or bike. Adding a trail would provide a safe route for walkers and bikers. The Summer Creek Homeowners Association would like to preserve the trees in front of the properties. Currently there are about 8 – 40’ tall pine trees with a diameter of 12” and greater. In addition, there are 6 -12 other medium sized trees. They feel the trees provide beauty, a sense of nature, a sound buffer, and added security. Residents worry that without a buffer of trees there would be direct access into their properties, and a possible increase in crime. Residents of the Summer Creek Homeowners Association wish to work cooperatively with the City and County to preserve as many trees as able to. Overall, they support the trail project and encourage consideration of preserving the trees. Two comments were emailed to staff prior to the open house. A comment was received from the residents at 4470 Comstock Ln. They wished to share that they are pleased with the possible trail addition and upcoming road improvement project. A resident at 4145 Terraceview Ln is wishing for the trail to run along the north side of Old Rockford Road. Project Coordinator Rippe shared that due to the wetlands on the north side of Old Rockford Road the trail would not be able to be completed on that side. Other comments provided during the open house included the potential loss of trees along the trail project. Residents also expressed concern regarding having to possibly move fences and sprinkler heads currently in place. Several residents expressed that they are excited to have a safe travel route for children to travel to school and friends’ houses. Director Evans shared that there were several individuals concerned on the culvert placement and making sure that the grading was set up for proper drainage off of the trail. The City Engineer will be making contact with those residents and advising on the culvert placements and grading of the trails. Chair Riley asked what the standard approach is for following up with residents. Director Evans replied that we appreciate everyone from the public showing up this evening and providing staff with their feedback and concerns. She would like to reiterate that it is not our intention to remove all of the trees; we still wish to have a buffer present. Director Evans will be making contact with the County to see if there is the option to narrow down the trail widths in sections to allow trees to remain where they are. If narrowing the trail results in saving some of the trees then it would be worth it. We will just want to ensure that we have the flexibility with the County to make those adjustments along the trail. 3 Approved Minutes February 11, 2016 The City Parks & Forestry Division will work with the affected homeowners and the Homeowners Association to get additional trees planted along Old Rockford Road to create a natural buffer. Commissioner Swanson asked if project engineers know which trees have to be taken down already. In turn, would affected homeowners be allowed to move the trees prior to the construction? Director Evans answered that residents are more than welcome to move any trees that may be affected. Residents should check with their utility companies before replanting, but she does not foresee any issues. Commissioner Swanson added that with some of the larger trees it can be quite expensive to move those. Director Evans replied that when construction was done along Vicksburg Ln, many of the trees only required being trimmed back. The City works to avoid cutting down trees if not necessary. She will be meeting with the City Engineer to review the plans and discuss proposed tree trimming/removal. Commissioner DeBleeckere shared that it was very informative to hear directly from the public tonight. It helps to hear first hand from the public how they feel before making any considerations and recommendations on projects. Commissioner Burkhardt agreed with Commissioner DeBleeckere and was very pleased to see so many residents come out and discuss the project. Residents he spoke with were able to express their concerns and were overall anxious to add the trail. Many felt it would create a safe connection for families to get to schools. He found it interesting that so many came to share their support for the project. Commissioner Anderson also appreciated that residents attended the open house to express their feelings. It was nice to hear from Ms. Castaneda as to how the Summer Creek Homeowners Association feels about the project. He is very excited for this trail gap to be completed as it is a very important connection in the trails. This would be a great time to complete the project, especially having received the Hennepin County grant. We are very lucky to have received this grant. Commissioner Anderson also expressed that he wished an Engineer would have been on hand for the open house to answer specific questions, especially about drainage. He spoke with two residents that have had drainage issues on their properties during the year and is hoping this project will help correct those issues. Director Evans added that when projects such as this take place the Engineers do take into account any current issues and work to resolve those. Commissioner DeBleeckere asked if delaying the recommendation tonight would affect the project timeline. Director Evans shared that a recommendation could be made tonight with an addition of any concerns needing to be addressed. Motion by Commissioner Anderson, seconded by Commissioner Swanson, recommending approval of the Old Rockford Road Trail Gap project with the added condition of addressing culvert/drainage issues, tree loss/relocation concerns, and Hennepin County approving narrowing of the trail in certain areas. With no objection, the motion passed. 5b. PCC/Millennium Garden Fees/Policies - Susan Muelken (ACTION) Every year staff reviews policies and fees at the Plymouth Creek Center, Millennium Garden, and Fieldhouse for comparison with other nearby cities to ensure we remain competitive. 4 Approved Minutes February 11, 2016 Currently at the Millennium Garden there are two time slots available for reservations on Saturday and Sundays. Feedback received has shown that many wedding parties feel that this is too restrictive of a time block to fit in a ceremony and photos. Staff recommend creating a 4-hour time block for Saturday and Sunday rentals. Depending on the times chosen, it may only allow for one rental on those days, but would be more customer friendly in allowing sufficient time. To help offset the loss of revenue from possibly loosing double ceremony days, staff propose to increase the rental rates by $10. In reviewing the Plymouth Creek Center policies and costs, staff are only recommending updating the policies and cleaning up language to make it clearer to users. The largest update to the policy is the recommendation to change the date non-residents can begin making reservations. Currently residents are able to book the Plymouth Room 18 months in advance of their event date, and non-residents can book 12 months in advance of their event date. Staff recommends allowing non -residents to make a reservation 15 months in advance to allow wedding parties enough time in advance to plan their wedding. Another noteworthy change to the policy is that staff are recommending to change the due date for final payments on room reservations. Currently renters must pay two weeks in advance of their event, but staff would like to extend that to 30 days prior to their event. Several times events are cancelling at the two week deadline, making it hard to re-book the room on a short notice. There is a new room available for rental at the Plymouth Creek Center. The Alcove is the former office space of PSA/Fusion Soccer Club. Staff have modeled the space into a room that can be used as a wedding changing room or small meeting room. Due to similar size of the space, staff is recommending the fee structure to be the same as the Fireside Room’s fee structure. Upon approval of the fees, room rentals in the Alcove would account for an increase of $7,000-10,000 in revenue. Commissioner Vanderwall inquired how there could be an increase in revenue for the Millennium Gardens when there is the possibility of loosing a booking each day due to the longer time blocks. Manager Muelken replied that staff are not anticipating the loss of any rentals, and in fact, expect to gain rentals due to having a longer, more desirable time period to host ceremonies and photos. In 2015, there were only 12 days with double weddings booked. For 2016, only 6 days have double weddings booked in the Gardens. Commissioner Vanderwall followed up by asking how we are accounting for the lost revenue from Fusion Soccer’s monthly lease payments. Manager Muelken responded that rental revenue in the Alcove would exceed the monthly rental revenue collected from Fusion. When Fusion Soccer was leasing the room, the Plymouth Creek Center was responsible for paying income tax on that revenue. Now that it is a public room to be rented, the PCC will not need to pay those same taxes. Chair Riley expressed that typically information on the competitors is shared along with the recommendations. Manager Muelken responded that it is hard to compare our site exactly to other nearby sites. Staff did survey 6-7 other communities, and felt that they were right in line with the competitors. Commissioner Swanson enquired how often rentals wait until two weeks prior to make the final payment. Manager Muelken answered that it has only happened a few times over the last 10 years, but certainly some rentals wait until the very end to make the payment. Commissioner Swanson followed up by asking why the deadline isn’t three 5 Approved Minutes February 11, 2016 months in advance. Director Evans responded that the City standard is for final payments to be made 30 days in advance. Motion by Commissioner Burkhardt, seconded by Commissioner Vanderwall, recommending approval of the Plymouth Creek Center and Millennium Garden Fees and Policies as presented. With no objection, the motion passed. 5c. Fieldhouse fees & policies (ACTION) Annually staff compare fees and policies for fieldhouse sites in neighboring cities. Based on this comparison staff is recommending a nominal fee increase. The Fieldhouse operates as an enterprise fund and needs to generate enough revenue to operate. Staff are planning ahead for the purchase of a new dome membrane in 2017. In the past, the fee increase has gone into effect on January 1 of the year. Since that date falls mid- season for most groups, staff is recommending that the fee change go into effect on October 16. This increase in revenue would result in an additional $15,000 -20,000. Commissioner Swanson asked what the typical usage is at the Fieldhouse. Manager Muelken replied that rentals numbers have remained pretty consistent over the years . Prime time rentals continue to be very popular. On weekends, the Fieldhouse is booked from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm. Fusion Soccer currently rents 44% of the field time and Park & Recreation reserves 28% of the available field time. The Fieldhouse also continues to be very popular for walkers and joggers at all times of the day. Chair Riley commented that the new bounce castles at Open Play are very enjoyable for her grandchildren to play with. It is nice to have some new choices for the kids to have. She enquired if there is a discounted punch card available. Manager Muelken answered that the daily fee to visit is $4/person for residents. With the punch card, you would be able to attend 10 times for $42; a savings of $1 per visit. The passes do not expire. Commissioner Vanderwall asked how changing the fee increase to go into effect in October would affect the sports clubs and their budgets for the season. Manager Muelken responded that as soon as staff have approval on the fee increase, they will communicate that to all groups so that they can adjust or review their budgets for next season and prepare for any impact. Motion by Commissioner Vanderwall, seconded by Commissioner Burkhardt, recommending approval of the Fieldhouse Fees and Policies as presented. With no objection, the motion passed. 5d. Aspen Hallow Development Park Name (ACTION) Deputy Director Northway shared that a new neighborhood park will be developed in 2016 in the Aspen Hallow development near Garland Ln and 57th Ave N. This park will be located just south of the Plymouth Dog Park and along the Northwest Greenway. The park will cover 2.39 acres. It is located on a higher elevation overlook where visitors can see the Elm Creek Wetlands. Commissioner DeBleeckere asked if “Greenway” needs to be in the park name, for example, would it be Aspen on the Greenway Park, or Aspen Hallow Park. Deputy Director Northway replied that it could be either, but doesn’t need to have Greenway in 6 Approved Minutes February 11, 2016 the name. Recently The Meadows was approved as the name for the playfield on the Tombers Property. Director Evans added that while the site would be officially identified as a park, it also doesn’t need the work “park” in the title. Commissioner Anderson added that overall he likes keeping the work “Aspen” in the name of the park and would be open to any of the recommendations with “Aspen” in it. Commissioner Vanderwall shared that he liked the name “Aspen Greenway Vista” since it included all of the major attributes of the park. Commissioner Burkhardt added that since the park is located on higher ground and serving as an overlook, the word “Ridge” connects that site well. Commissioner DeBleeckere also added that she has a preference for having the words Greenway” and “Park” in the name. Chair Riley noted that if we have a Legacy Greenway Park already, we may have a precedence to having “Greenway” in the name of the new park. Director Evans shared that typically when users refer to Legacy Greenway Park they just say Legacy Chair Riley added that if the name “Greenway” is getting dropped when referencing other parks, why add it in the first place. People will tend to develop an abbreviated name for park locations. Motion by Commissioner Burkhardt, seconded by Commissioner Anderson, recommending approval of the name Aspen Ridge Park. With no objection, the motion passed. 5e. Work Plan (ACTION) Included in the meeting packet is the 2016 PRAC Work Plan. Commissioners are asked to review and suggest any changes. Motion by Commissioner Swanson, seconded by Commissioner DeBleeckere, recommending approval of the 2016 PRAC Work Plan. With no objection, the motion passed. 5f. Annual Report (ACTION) Included in the meeting packets is a final version of the 2015 Annual Report. Commissioners are requested to review and share any corrections they want made. An electronic version of the Annual Report will be available on the City website. Should anyone wish to have a paper copy of the Annual Report, please let Sarah Josephs know. One item of note is on page 13. The programs offered and users served remains steady, but there has been a slight increase in senior program participation. Chair Riley asked if there was any explanation to the increase in senior participants. Recreation Supervisor Hemp shared that in 2015 the Parks and Recreation department took over full control of the programs offered to seniors. Now that they are all operated in -house we are able to get a more exact number of programs and events. Staff have put in a large effort to expand senior programing options as well. Director Evans added that in the future it is very unlikely that we will be using the term senior” in our programming categories. We will be moving forward to combining those programs with the “adult” category one we implement the new software system. 7 Approved Minutes February 11, 2016 Motion by Commissioner Burkhardt, seconded by Commissioner Anderson, recommending approval of the 2015 Annual Report. With no objection, the motion passed. 5g. Designate Chair & Vice Chair (ACTION) Director Evans thanked Chair Riley and Vice Chair Wyse for serving in a leadership role for PRAC in 2015. Each year we reappoint a Chair and Vice Chair to serve. Those selected will be forwarded to the Mayor for final approval. Commissioners may nominate themselves or anyone else on the Commission. A Chair can serve consecutive terms. Commissioner DeBleeckere enquired if Vice Chair Wyse had expressed interest in serving as Vice Chair for another year. Director Evans responded that she had not heard of any decision from him prior to tonight’s meeting. Commissioner Swanson asked if both Chair Riley and Commissioner DeBleeckere were reconfirmed for new terms. Director Evans responded that both have accepted and confirmed their reappointments. Commissioner DeBleeckere nominated Merrilee Riley to serve as Chair in 2016. Commissioner Vanderwall and Commissioner Anderson both expressed interest in serving as Vice Chair. Commission Burkhardt and Commissioner Swanson stated that they both felt too new to the Commission to take a leadership role. Commissioner DeBleeckere asked each how long they have served on the Commission. Both Commissioner Vanderwall and Anderson have served several terms, but Commissioner Anderson was appointed 10 months prior to Commissioner Vanderwall. Commissioner Burkhardt enquired if either has served as Chair or Vice Chair before. Commissioner Anderson has served one year as Chair and one year as Vice Chair. Commissioner Vanderwall has not yet served a term. Chair Riley asked if either foresee any conflicts with attending the upcoming 2016 meetings. Neither Commissioner Anderson nor Vanderwall have any upcoming schedule conflicts preventing them from attending. Commissioner Anderson shared that he has enjoyed serving with PRAC for a number of years. As a former Chair and Vice Chair he has had experience running the meetings and taking over when a Chair was unable to. Commissioner Vanderwall shared that he has served on the Commission a long time and feels that this is a good time to contribute more. He would like the opportunity to serve as Vice Chair. A vote was held by Commissioners resulting in four votes for Commissioner Vanderwall and two votes for Commissioner Anderson. The Commission recommends the appointment of Merrilee Riley as Chair for 2016 and Aaron Vanderwall as Vice Chair for 2016. 6. COMMISSIONER/STAFF UPDATE Staff attended a meeting with the Cardinal Ridge Homeowners Association, regarding updates being made at Three Ponds Park. The planned renovations have a large impact 8 Approved Minutes February 11, 2016 on their properties. Residents were very receptive to the changes. Staff then held an Open House on Monday, February 8 for all residents near Three Ponds Park to review the plans. There were 25 residents in attendance. Staff received great feedback, overall very positive comments about the renovations. Due to tree roots cracking the trails along the north and east side of the pond at Three Ponds Park, staff are proposing to remove the trees affecting the trails. The trees being proposed for removal are mostly of low quality; Willow, Ash, and Cottonwood. Other updates include trail repair, replacing the boardwalk, retro-fitting the playground, and recoating the benches and shelters. Chair Riley shared that this park is a fun little park to visit and walk around. The park has a very lovely setting. Fire & Ice was held on Saturday, February 5 at Parkers Lake. The event was a great success and had roughly 4,000 people in attendance. Visitors had a great time, and as always, the firework were a nice finale to the event. Thank you to all of the Commissioners and Council members who were on hand volunteering at the event. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. There are two retirements/departures coming up in the next few months. Recreation Manager Regina Michaud will have her last day on May 2 before relocating out of state. Parks & Forestry Manager Dan Heitke will be retiring in the end of July (date TBD). Recreation Supervisor Kari Hemp will begin transitioning into the Recreation Manager role. The Recreation Supervisor of Education Programs position is posted online now, with interviews scheduled to begin in March. Dan Heitke’s position will be transitioned from a Manager position into a Supervisor position, with the new employee on in time to shadow Dan before he leaves. Commissioner Burkhardt enquired if the Parks & Recreation Department received any bonding money for Ice Center upgrades. Director Evans explained that while even though the PIC projects were not noted in the Governor’s list of projects, it does not mean that we have not received funding. The request still will go through the legislative process before going on for final approval. Commissioner Burkhardt asked for an update on the Ice Center parking lot project. Director Evans shared that we have received bids for the parking lot project and will submit those to the City Council on February 23. Currently there are two options; 1) proceed with the improvements as requested and add 86 parking spots, or 2) reject the bids and authorize completing a mill and overlay of the parking lot. Bids for the project came in around $1.125 million. If option 1 is approved, the City would contribute 550,000 to the project and Life Time Fitness would contribute $675,000. Commissioner DeBleeckere enquired what portion of the project costs Life Time would pay if option 2 was selected. Director Evans answered that in that case the costs would be split 50/50. Option 2 is estimated to cost $600,000. Deputy Director Northway advised that a March 10 PRAC meeting has been added to the schedule. This was not originally on the PRAC schedule, but has been added to provide a recommendation to Council regarding the master plan for the neighborhood park in Aspen Hallows. A community meeting has been scheduled just prior to the PRAC meeting to hear resident feedback. 9 Approved Minutes February 11, 2016 Chair Riley added that Commissioners are welcome to attend. It is quite helpful to hear directly from the residents. Chair Riley expressed that she would like to recognize staff upon their retirements and asked if there was an appropriate/standard way of recognizing the employee’s level of service? Director Evans shared that we don’t have a standard way for PRAC to recognize retiring staff. She suggested inviting the staff members to a PRAC meeting so Commissioners could express their thanks. Chair Riley suggested that PRAC approve a resolution of appreciation for each retiring staff member. She offered to create the resolution. Director Evans will invite Recreation Manager Regina Michaud to the March PRAC meeting and Dan Heitke to the June meeting. Merrilee – pay pass a resolution of appreciate to each staff. Create letter informing. 7. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Swanson, seconded by Commissioner DeBleeckere, recommending adjournment of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting. With no objection, Chair Riley adjourned the meeting at 8:26 p.m.