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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 03/07/2011APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2011 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Geri Napuck (Chair), Hutch Coburn (Vice-Chair), Tom Bierman, Lee Elliott-Stoering, Derek Gunderson, Larry Link COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Joan Oko STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT: none. STAFF PRESENT: Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director Laurie Obiazor, Recreation Services Manager Wendy Sevenich, Community Center Manager Beth Witt, Recreation Coordinator Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Napuck called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Commissioner Joan Oko, Student Representatives Ethan Holdahl and Pranay Rao, and Staff Member Stu Fox were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Lotthammer requested reversing the order of old and new business to accommodate Witt. MOTION: Elliott-Stoering moved, seconded by Gunderson, to approve the amended agenda. Motion carried 6-0. III. MINUTES MOTION: Bierman moved, seconded by Link, to approve the February 7, 2011 minutes. Motion carried 6-0. IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION Lotthammer announced Napuck and Coburn have been reappointed as Chair and Vice- Chair, respectively. New commissioner, Dave Rosa, begins his term in April and replaces Elliott-Stoering who has been appointed to the Arts and Culture Commission. The commissioners applauded Elliott-Stoering for her years of service. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES March 7, 2011 Page 2 V. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION Lotthammer reported it had been another small month for the Planning Commission. There is nothing impacting PRNR at this time. VI. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION None VII. NEW BUSINESS A. CYCLING EXPO Witt introduced the upcoming Cycling Expo scheduled for Saturday, May 7, from 9:00 a.m.-12 noon at the Community Center. Lotthammer interjected this idea had been in the works for awhile prior to brainstorming and is taking the place of the “Eat Local” expo from last year. There are many opportunities to use local trails, and the event is timely given the increase in gas prices and in people commuting via bike. Evaluation afterwards will determine whether this remains a one-time event or becomes an annual event. Witt presented an overview of the expo. The event is geared towards helping Eden Prairie and regional residents of all ages and cycling experiences increase awareness of and gain interest in all aspects of cycling in the community. Erik’s Bike Shop is the headline sponsor. Vendor exhibits will be set up on the dry floor in Rink 3. Thirty-minute demonstrations on helmet safety, changing a flat tire, and dressing for cycling in all conditions will also take place in this area with each topic running twice. The Cambria Room will host keynote speakers flanking an open podium period during which community members can offer feedback on trail development. Speaker topics include an introduction to cycling and cycling for leisure. The event will culminate with a brief bike tour led by Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens. To promote the event, the ad used for the brochure cover will be used in a postcard format and distributed to interested vendors and at a larger expo taking place at the Mall of America later this month. Additional marketing will occur by utilizing road signs at major intersections, placing signage and posters throughout Eden Prairie facilities, and offering a “Design the Eden Prairie Bike Jersey” contest. Gunderson inquired about the types of vendors who will be at the event and logistics surrounding participation. Witt explained exhibitors are mostly commuter-friendly bike groups, but there are a couple of manufacturers with booths as well. There is plenty of room; interested vendors have until the end of April to secure a spot. Since there is essentially no expense associated with the event for the City, there are no admission fees for vendors this year; however, sponsorships may be implemented should the event be held in the future. Link commented he would like to see topics tailored towards more-avid bikers such as advanced bike maintenance or gear. Sevenich and Elliott-Stoering respectively suggested the following topics: advancing from one cycling level to the next and preparation for longer bike rides. Elliott-Stoering stated she is aware several PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES March 7, 2011 Page 3 informal bike groups are already planning weekend rides. She wants to make sure event information is not disseminated too late. Witt said the Communications Department is working on getting information to groups for inclusion in their calendars. Bierman has noticed avid bikers tend to use roads rather than trails and attributed this, in part, to the inconsistency in curb design at intersections. If curbs could all be made seamless (rather than beveled or with a lip) as street upgrades occur, that might encourage cyclists to use sidewalks instead of streets. VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. COMMISSION BRAINSTORMING/VISIONING Lotthammer explained a temporary support staff person took their ideas and grouped them by similarity in order from most to least votes and then named the categories. Commissioners may opt to edit the verbiage or rename the categories. The next step, internally, is to share the visioning ideas document with staff. Lotthammer directed commissioners to the slideshow portion of an article brought to his attention by Coburn’s wife about what other forward-thinking cities are doing. He then turned the discussion over to Coburn to lead. Coburn said he thought it best to focus on one or two items rather than too many and to gather input from other commissions as a starting point. Gunderson inquired about consolidating the list by combining similar items. Elliott-Stoering added she viewed this more from an area standpoint than a topic standpoint stating several visioning elements from different categories could be incorporated into the Round Lake area. Napuck said she could see one category being topical (trail enhancement) and another being geographical (Round Lake). Lotthammer agreed some items naturally fall together or cross over into more than one category and eventually become part of staff work plans, while others may automatically fall off as the focus becomes more clear. Bierman expressed eagerness in accomplishing a more-immediate, small-scale project, but Lotthammer cautioned against getting too specific too early in the process. Development of a task force should be delayed. It is better to think bigger and broader and allow more time for conversations and learning. The danger in moving too quickly is creative ideas are lost and it becomes more of a to-do list than a visioning process. Several commissioners commented something needed to be done about the Round Lake area. Link said the empty beach and lifeguard chairs need to be addressed. Bierman stated Round Lake should be the crown jewel of Eden Prairie. Napuck suggested since history has shown the water quality is not likely to return, perhaps the focus ought to be on alternatives for the area. If the lake becomes swimmable again, that’s a bonus. Gunderson said he views the lake as more of an atmosphere (background setting for 4th of July). He recommended asking the public what Round Lake means to them, offering four or five ideas from which they can choose. Coburn suggested soliciting input from the watershed district on how viable Round Lake is before getting public input. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES March 7, 2011 Page 4 Lotthammer suggested Round Lake might be a good test area due to its central location within the community. One option is to put in a spray park/splash pad to distract from lake. Lotthammer recommended a two-pronged strategic approach over the next couple of months. One step would be to bring in The Lake Detective and/or representatives from the watershed district, experts who can give them better information on the water quality. Another might be an inventory of facilities, events, general usage, aerial photo, future plans, age of equipment, and so forth. Elliott-Stoering said she would like to see a history of the park and water quality added to the inventory. Gunderson asked if perhaps there were something the commissioners could do to help. Lotthammer thought it best to see what the experts come up with and get more focused first. There may be an opportunity for commissioner homework down the road. The Commission directed Lotthammer to go ahead and enlist his staff to get started on this process which includes initiating research on what other communities have done and what’s been successful. Elliott-Stoering suggested inviting representatives from the Conservation and Arts and Culture commissions to PRNR meetings as appropriate. Lotthammer said going through this process will give them valuable feedback. Learning where their strengths are may result in a spinoff of other ideas on how to play up those strengths. IX. REPORTS OF STAFF A. PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER - Lotthammer 1. Skate Park Update Schematics are due back March 15 from the design firms. The youth task force will have a chance to review them and provide input after spring break. Reconstruction is expected to begin in May once the design is finalized and the equipment is ordered. The blacktop will be ripped out and replaced by concrete. Substantial use over the summer is anticipated. 2. Flying Cloud Field Update Bids are due Thursday and are expected to come in within budget. Bids will be presented to Council for their authorization to award the bid on March 15 barring any unforeseen problems. The project is on track. 3. Rice Marsh Lake Trail Bid Summary Bids came in last Thursday with the lowest around $292,000. This is good news considering the consultant’s estimate for this project was over $350,000. Bids will be presented to Council on March 15 for their authorization to award the contract. There is an existing ledge under the Highway 212 bridge for bikers to cross. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES March 7, 2011 Page 5 B. COMMUNITY CENTER MANAGER FYI: “The Little Mermaid” Ice Show C. RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER FYI: Parks and Recreation Spring/Summer Brochure FYI: Eden Prairie Players show: “The Philadelphia Story” FYI: Eden Prairie Community Band: All District Band Festival FYI: Family Bingo Night FYI: Harlem Globetrotters Ticket Special D. PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR 1. 2011 PRNR Work Plan Lotthammer announced the annual Boards and Commissions Banquet is set for Wednesday, May 11. Bierman noted 58 percent of those responding to the community survey were in favor of protecting wetland and open space. He wants to know what potentially-preservable space remains in the way of wills, trusts, etc. Lotthammer noted an overview of the community survey will take place at next month’s meeting. Bierman commended Napuck on an outstanding job in terms of outlining what the Commission does in a recent article. X. NEXT MEETING The next PRNR Commission meeting will be Monday, April 4, 2011, 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers. IX. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Bierman moved, seconded by Elliott-Stoering, to adjourn. Motion carried 6-0. Chair Napuck adjourned the meeting at 8:45 p.m.