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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity and School Facility Use Advisory Committee - 03/27/2013APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE WED., MARCH 27, 2013 7:00 PM, EDEN PRAIRIE COMMUNITY CENTER – Cambria Room 16700 Valley View Road COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Derek Gunderson, Chair; Parks & Recreation Commission Suzanne Kutina, Vice Chair; School Board Sherry Butcher-Wickstrom, City Council Patrice Erickson, Community Ed Advisory Council Lisa Lieberman, EPHS Booster Club STAFF: Mike Grant, High School Activities Director Ricardo Jones, High School Activities Coordinator Terri Johnson, Director of Community Education Cheryl Bridge, Facilities Coordinator Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director Laurie Obiazor, Recreation Services Manager Wendy Sevenich, Community Center Manager Valerie Verley, Recreation Supervisor - Athletics Heidi Wojahn, Recorder I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Gunderson called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Sevenich and Committee Member Butcher-Wickstrom were absent. Grant arrived at 7:06 pm. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Erickson moved, seconded by Lieberman, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 4-0. III. MINUTES Lieberman noted the word “they” in the fourth paragraph under Item V.C. refers to the University of Minnesota, not the Foxjets, and should be clarified. MOTION: Gunderson moved, seconded by Kutina, to approve the November 14, 2012 minutes as amended. Motion carried 4-0. IV. ITEMS OF BUSINESS A. EDEN PRAIRIE COMMUNITY CENTER POOL UPDATE – Lotthammer The Parks Commission has been working on the pool concept. Council has requested potential financing and funding with bond funds be discussed at its workshop on April 16. The next step in May would be to recommend moving forward with CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 27, 2013 Page 2 architectural and design using the same company used for the feasibility study. Several on the Council have voiced support, particularly Councilmember Brad Aho who wrote an article about the project in the paper. Estimates would be refined through the schematic piece of the design initiative. If all goes as planned, it could go out for bid in January or February with construction beginning in April. It would take about a year to complete a 12-lane, cold-water pool intended for competitive practice and fitness swimming as well as older kids’ swimming lessons. A deep-water component could be used for scuba, aerobics, or three lanes of lap swim. The pool would be suitable for competition with a seating capacity of 200-300 and the capability of using starting blocks. It would work well for high school and Foxjets meet, but not as a location for big regional meets. The current pool would then be bumped out towards Valley View and have a zero-depth entry and warmer water to accommodate seniors. It would have some lap capability but not be suitable for hardcore fitness swimmers. Because Council requested more feedback, a web product called MindMixer is being used to solicit input. They are receiving a lot of requests, mostly from older gentleman, for a post-workout hot tub. In addition, a public meeting was held a month ago with about 75 people in attendance. There were a lot of supportive comments; about four or five people were not in favor. The size of the cold-water pool allows for expansion of the fitness area which will help alleviate the overcrowded studio. The ice entry area would be replicated in the aquatics area and consist of a classroom or meeting room space, a dry land training facility, and two wet locker rooms for use by swim teams and swim clubs. Users of the current locker rooms who are there for a nice, relaxing swim will not feel inundated with a sudden influx of swim team members. Lieberman commented people tend to forget the center is a facility intended for use by everyone in the community, including kids. Grant asked if there was a diving component and if it would meet the specs for federation diving. Lotthammer said there would be two diving boards and a climbing wall component in the deep area which would have a depth of eight to nine feet. Grant said code for depth and type of diving board keeps changing. The high school boys diving team continues to be able to dive at the community center because they are grandfathered in, but the new diving area will be beneficial to them. Grant said as architectural is being finalized, it will be important to involve the swim coaches to make sure the needs of the high school are being met in terms of code and requirements. Lieberman said the Foxjets have been involved from a competition standpoint, but Aaron Monson should probably weigh in on diving. Lotthammer said Council has been told several months are needed in order to do this right which includes getting input and feedback. Foxjets funded part of the feasibility study and has been working on the concept of raising funds and naming rights. The Hennepin County Youth Sports Grant program is a possibility for a few hundred thousand dollars and hopefully an additional $500,000 can be raised. The project estimate is a total of $16 million. Kutina asked if approval for bond funding comes strictly from CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 27, 2013 Page 3 City Council. Lotthammer said the City has the ability to sell lease revenue bonds. Another option is tax abatement bonds which are about one percent less than lease revenue bonds in interest rate or a $300,000 a year savings in debt service. The City’s debt service is scheduled to drop, so there is a way to finance the project without having taxes increase. Lieberman said in her former community, the zero-depth warmer water pool had a spouting turtle and other kid-friendly features. Lotthammer said they had been touring other pools and gathering ideas in terms of storage and types of materials as well as learning what not to do. Gunderson asked if the first pool would be kept warmer while the second pool is under construction. Lotthammer said the temperature would probably be given a slight bump up temporarily. B. STRATEGIC PLANNING UPDATE/REFERENDUM – Kutina The District’s strategic planning has been underway since the beginning of the school year. There are three committees involved. The first phase involved a core team of 25 people, a cross-section from the community including staff and families (some whose names were submitted and some who were solicited), who developed an overall plan in November. The job of the action planning team was to develop strategic action steps for each of five strategy sections in the draft, while the role of the measurement team was to develop tools to measure and assess the implementation progress. The plan will return to the core team for finalization and presentation to the school board in May. The plan is intended to last for many years. The measurement piece will be an ongoing process with continuous updates for the board. The plan is completely owned by the superintendent and staff; the board receives updates and monitors the progress. Kutina thanked Johnson for serving on one of the committees. Obiazor asked who the consultant was. Kutina said Stephen Barone came highly recommended and has been excellent to work with throughout the process. Lieberman said she is disturbed by negative feedback she has been hearing about the City and schools from empty nesters with homes for sale in her neighborhood. She is not sure what has prompted this, but apparently some realtors are suggesting their clients look elsewhere because things are unsettled in Eden Prairie. She does not feel this way and thinks any positive press they can get out would be good. There has been bad press in the past which contained misrepresentations. Kutina said it is difficult to undo complaints; however, what has helped significantly is elevating a couple positions on the executive staff. The communications position is now at the director level, and a well-known individual was hired to fill that position. Within the last year there has been a lot more in the paper, and the website has been completely updated. Lieberman said her point was to be mindful of the rumblings and to send positive messages whenever possible whether it is about the pool, the strategic plan, or anything else in the community. Kutina said Director of Communications, Bob Noyed, initiated a forum with realtors to share the good news about the direction Eden Prairie schools are headed. CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 27, 2013 Page 4 Obiazor inquired about enrollment. Kutina said enrollment did come back a bit, but they are still working with a declining enrollment due to stabilization. A lot of empty nesters stay in the community. Lieberman said the decline was happening anyway as there is nowhere to build new homes. People stay because they like the community. Kutina said staff is getting creative with lots of exciting new initiatives. They are continually looking for ways to increase enrollment. Maybe there is more they can do to encourage people to choose public schools over private or magnet schools. Grant said he talks to a lot of people who are considering Eden Prairie for activities and sports, and it is still a destination. It is a place to excel academically and athletically, yet needs of students who are struggling in school are met as well. College recruiters are continually amazed by the school and its students and the quality of both. It has a nationwide reputation second to none. Kutina reported a fall referendum is under consideration. Administration will make a recommendation to the board in April. More information will be gathered and discussion will take place before a board decision is made in May or early June whether or not to pursue it. Major reductions will take place if the referendum is not approved. Grant asked if the shortfall amount was public information. Kutina said the numbers were shared at a public meeting. This year the shortfall was $4.6 million - to be ready for next school year $2 million was figured out through adjustments and, in some cases, investments and organizational and strategic efficiencies, and about $2.5 million came out of the fund balance. The fund balance is still healthy, but a significant bite has been taken from it. Budget projections indicate the gap is increasing. Gunderson asked if the shift would help make up for that. Kutina said it would not – these are funds the State owes the District, so they already consider it to be their money and are spending it. It will not even show up as a negative amount on the books. C. COMMUNITY ED NEEDS ASSESSMENT – Johnson Community Ed is gathering information to see how it fits within the district’s strategic plan and is also looking at doing some of its own strategic planning. An online needs assessment was emailed to past users and those in the partnership breakfast database. In addition, a team of seasoned community ed professionals was called in to perform a local community education program review. As part of this process, interviews focusing on different areas such as youth and adult programs, K- 12 partnerships, and facilities were conducted. Some from CSFAC participated in this process and their assistance is appreciated. Feedback received will help guide them as they move forward. D. 2013 SPRING/SUMMER FIELD USAGE UPDATE – Verley/Jones Verley said preplanning meetings were held with the six youth associations that utilize the City’s outdoor facilities. The meetings went well, and discussion centered on the resource manual, tournaments, fields, and 2013 fees and charges. Many had changeovers on their boards, so it was a nice educational piece for new and seasoned board members and staff. In addition, they were able to delve into field allocation of the new turf fields at Flying Cloud. Given the 20% surge in registrations, the fields CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 27, 2013 Page 5 will be allocated to lacrosse. There are two game fields, one each for boys and girls. The location will provide good visibility. Lacrosse has not had the field allocation others have had in the past. Last year, Homeward Hills and Rice Marsh were reallocated from soccer to lacrosse to accommodate space needs. This will allow them to keep growing. Winter clinics are attracting more young kids. Kutina noted the number of female participants in 5th/6th grade has doubled. Grant said the high school has seen the opposite with a 50% drop in numbers. Verley said some boards have noted shifts in their numbers. The anticipated start date for field usage is April 29th. Teams are anxious to begin given the early start time last year. Communication will be ongoing about the actual start date. Jones said the high school turf fields are seeing a ton of use. They are receiving a lot of requests from colleges this spring wanting to use the Bubble for softball practices and games. The dome usually starts being dismantled the week of April 22, but it depends on the weather. That field will see a lot of use in April. There has been a lot of turnover, especially with lacrosse schedulers, so he will walk them through the scheduling process. Flag football and the YMCA are returning to the Central Middle School (CMS) fields. They will also be used for baseball and soccer when ready. The grass fields are rarely used during summer except for camps and the Prairie Cup. Kutina asked how field usage is prioritized. Jones said the high school has first dibs followed by associations, residents, non-profits, and for-profit organizations. E. ROUND LAKE PARK IMPROVEMENT UPDATE – Lotthammer Construction is 98% finished. A big water tank still needs to go into the ground for the splash pad, sunbrellas will be going up, and plantings will be done yet this spring. They are very pleased with the results. The skate park and play area were already in use last fall. A lot of events will take place at Round Lake this year to encourage visitors. Grant said he recently attended a Lions meeting and is very impressed with what he learned about the expansion of the July 4th event at Round Lake. It will be a great event for the community and good place for families to hang out. The splash pad should be a big draw. Lotthammer said the event got scaled back four or five years ago due to budget cuts. The City regretted making that decision based on community feedback. The current Council is very supportive of adding funding. They have looked closely at partnerships and working with different vendors and organizations. Schooner Days and the corn feed have lost some of their excitement, so there have been discussions about how the City and the Lions can coordinate events to help support one another. One idea is to move a Round Lake concert so that it coincides with Schooner Days. People attending one event will be drawn to the other. The Lions have been asked to provide bingo and beer on July 3, as well. The July 4th event will include ribbon cuttings and skate park demos. F. HENNEPIN YOUTH SPORTS GRANT UPDATE – Verley Last fall, the baseball association applied for capital and equipment grants. They received a $10,000 equipment grant to be used towards a Gator and groomer which CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 27, 2013 Page 6 will help them do more in the area of field improvements. No matching funds were required. Funds are expected to arrive in the next week or so. The capital grant was not awarded through the Hennepin County Youth Sports program, but the program works hand-in-hand with the Minnesota Twins Community Fund which is where many ball field improvements are delegated. They received $29,700 through the Twins fund towards dugout covers at two Staring Lake fields and at Franlo, as well as turf for the batting cages at Staring Lake. There are matching funds for this grant. The association is financing about $39,000 for the project for which the Parks Department is currently working on specs. Grant said the football association is doing research on lighting Field A next to the Bubble with plans to apply for a grant in the fall. One of the association board members knows the industry. The demand for the turf field is very high, and it would help the marching band as the drum line expands and the number of practice nights increases. He will give an update on this in November. Verley said the board member Grant referred to is a civil engineer and does grant writing, so that should be an asset. Obiazor said for grant purposes, it will be important to show the variety of users and youth using the field, not just football. Grant said they are the only high school he knows of that rents out its game field nightly during the summer, so there is certainly a benefit to having it lit. Obiazor said a grant should be written for the gym bleachers. They tilt and are terrible for sitting. Grant said he was told new bleachers would cost about $250,000. Eden Prairie Boys Basketball Association Head Coach, David Flom, would request a new floor before bleachers. The floor is wood over concrete and hard on the legs. A softer, suspended floor is preferable. The bleachers are showing their age, however, and getting them replaced is on the list of long-term project improvements. G. EDIBLE GARDEN UPDATE – Obiazor Verley showed a brief local news clip that aired last June featuring an edible playground in Eden Prairie. Obiazor explained Lotthammer had a hand in designing the first edible playground in Minnesota at Prairie View Park in conjunction with Prairie View Elementary. It was funded through the Minnesota Recreation and Park Foundation and an anonymous donor. City crew installed the garden. Participants in the Summer Playground Program tended the garden in the summer and got nutrition education as well as healthy snacks. One day toward the end of the season, they yielded 30 pounds of tomatoes from which they were able to make and bring home salsa. They were also able to provide fresh produce to People Reaching Out to Other People. Parents of kids enrolled in Summer Playground gave positive feedback about the program. Elementary school kids took over caring for the garden in the fall. This spring, the District will work with City staff to get the garden up and running in preparation for Summer Playground in June. The City will be partnering with Oak Point School this year to establish a second garden at Staring Lake Outdoor Center. The same anonymous donor is providing funds for this site. It will be a slightly CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 27, 2013 Page 7 different location but similar in format and size. Other sites are being considered for the future. One possibility is the Community Center. The District has put initiatives in place for a healthier community. Last August, City Council passed a healthy eating and active living resolution. Installing these gardens is one step in promoting healthier eating. Kutina asked if the Prairie View garden was right next to the school. Obiazor said it is next to the playground and warming house in the back of the school. Lieberman asked if the school is providing any education in conjunction with the garden. Obiazor said they are tying it in with the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program. A staff member is working on developing curriculum for that particular garden as part of her Master’s Degree. Local farmers are eager to help the City and Schools promote healthy eating, whether that be talking to kids, providing starter plants, getting fresh produce into school lunches, or encouraging healthy snacks during the day. They have said there are a lot of businesses who have started corporate gardens as a way to help reduce employee stress. Johnson asked about the timeline for Staring Lake. Community Ed has a summer school program at Oak Point, and it would be great to involve those students. Obiazor said work will begin this spring. She will be in touch with Johnson about coordinating care of the garden. H. 2012 CITY/SCHOOL FEES & CHARGES - All Grant said from a school district standpoint, he does not anticipate any fee increases for the upcoming year. Obiazor said the City will be working on the 2014-15 operating budget in the next month, but she is not aware of any significant increases at this point. For City facilities used by the District, Verley said the bottom line is very similar to last year. The biggest change was a $3,000 increase in pool usage due to additional lifeguard classes offered through the high school phy-ed program. Other fees were similar or, in some cases, went down based on user groups. Jones said the numbers for School facilities used by the City are similar as well. There was a slight increase of $25 in community band due to tech needs. Community theater decreased about $400 due to less set-up time required. Fly fishing varies because it is based on number of participants. Verley noted Foxjets had additional evening practices as well as new summer Saturday programming resulting in about a $12,000 increase. Lieberman said more of a pool demand may be noticed in Olympic years. Bridge said Community Ed charges are primarily based on registrations. There may be a slight change in band as a result of being bumped from CMS for conferences. Otherwise numbers haven’t changed much. Johnson added Community Ed will be reviewing its fees in terms of practices and policies. Lotthammer said the City has rentable space in the Community Center, Senior Center, and City Hall. They try to get all their facilities on the same page cost-wise for meeting rooms and square footage. He offered to share their information with Johnson. She said that was a great idea. They are trying to do the same with the high school. CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 27, 2013 Page 8 I. OTHER Grant has said the video display board at the high school stadium is old. Replacement light bulbs can no longer be purchased for it. The District needs to do something soon and it could be part of a capital improvement. A basic scoreboard would cost $30,000-$40,000. The Boosters have come forward and asked to lease the land in that spot which would allow them to sell sponsorships to purchase a large, high-definition television display board. It would enhance the experience of spectators, especially in track. It can be programmed to be sport-specific and can be used for instant replays and highlighting people in the stands just like at any major sports arena. It could also become a central part of the community. For instance, the City could use it for public service announcements or it could be used to post welcoming messages from student council or band parents. Another idea is family movie night. It could be a revenue source and be rented out for Prairie Cup or other events or tied to Schooner Days. The possibilities are endless. When the board is paid off in five years, the sponsorships would allow Boosters to double their contributions to Student Activities. Outgoing Booster president, Sarah Cheesman, and Patricia Magnuson have done a lot of good work into putting this together. Cheesman has been working with the City into looking at a height variance as the board would be 46’ high and come with a new sound system. For the first year, Grant would hire someone to be coordinator of a new club for students to learn the technology. He has already talked to Rolf Olson about offering it as a class in the fall. Learning the technology could help students secure similar jobs in college. The school board seems receptive to the idea. He expects to know by May if this will go through. Sponsorships should be viewed more as advertising dollars than donations. It benefits sponsors to have their name out in the community. Without the sponsorships, it won’t happen. The Boosters would take out a loan and are working with two community banks. Projections are to have it ready at the first soccer game in August. It won’t require much to get it up and running. Construction companies or electricians might be willing to donate their services. The message needs to be clear the District is not asking for this. The board would be owned, serviced, and insured by the Boosters. Gunderson departed at 8:28 pm. V. NEXT MEETING A. MEETING DATE The next CSFAC meeting will be Wednesday, November 13, 7 p.m. in the Cambria Room at the Community Center. Lisa Lieberman left at 8:35 pm. CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 27, 2013 Page 9 B. DISCUSSION ITEMS Arts and Theater Update Update on Hennepin County Sports Grant Review of Summer Field Usage Referendum Update Pool Project Update Edible Garden Update VI. OTHER None VII. ADJOURNMENT Vice Chair Kutina adjourned the meeting at 8:38 pm.