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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 01/16/2024 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2024 CITY CENTER 5:00 – 6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOMS 6:30 – 7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Ron Case, Council Members Kathy Nelson, Mark Freiberg, PG Narayanan, and Lisa Toomey CITY STAFF: City Manager Rick Getschow, Police Chief Matt Sackett, Fire Chief Scott Gerber, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Julie Klima, Parks and Recreation Director Amy Markle, Administrative Services/HR Director Alecia Rose, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, City Attorney Maggie Neuville, and Recorder Sara Aschenbeck Workshop - Heritage Rooms I and II (5:30) I. PICKLEBALL UPDATE 5:30 – 5:50 p.m. Markle began by summarizing the current poor shape of the basketball and tennis courts at Miller Park and the need for renovation. The two improvement options include reconstructing an outdoor court complex or building an indoor facility. The outdoor court option would have six pickleball courts, one tennis court, and one basketball court, along with lighting and a shaded seating area. Construction costs are estimated at $1.8 to $2 million and no fee would be charged to users. Construction would occur in summer 2024 and the courts would be ready for use by fall 2024. An indoor facility would include six pickleball courts and two tennis courts. The facility would include an atrium, changing space, and bathrooms and would be fully operational year- round. Construction costs are estimated at $13 to $14 million and users would pay either an add- on Community Center membership fee or a per-court rental fee. Construction would occur in 2024 and 2025. An indoor facility comes with higher long-term operating costs such as staffing and utilities. Markle outlined considerations between the two options. There are multiple private and public indoor and outdoor pickleball courts in the City and neighboring areas. Nearby options include both high quality facilities specializing in pickleball and standard indoor facilities where one recreation court serves multiple sports. Getschow added most of the nearby facilities were added after the Miller Park Court Renovation was included in the Capital Improvement Plan. Markle noted climate change and outdoor lighting are lengthening the outdoor season. Sound pollution for both proposals would not be an issue with location. Long-term operational costs would be much higher with an indoor facility, and most residents inquiring about pickleball are seeking low cost options. City Council Workshop Minutes January 16, 2024 Page 2 Markle explained depending on court utilization, an indoor facility would be operating at a loss of between $389 to $486 thousand annually. The facility would be paid for with $9 million of debt and $4 million of park dedication fees. Alternatively with the outdoor court option, the $1.8 to $2 million cost estimate could be paid solely with park dedication fees. The only ongoing cost would be maintenance. Markle stated the City is looking to expand current recreational offerings to meet changing community interests. A community needs assessment would be helpful to inform future decisions. Long-term there is a need for a flexible, multi-sport space such as an indoor gym for badminton, track, and lacrosse. The City shouldn’t compete with private pickleball facilities in the area. Miller park is currently in poor condition so renovation should begin soon. Case stated the pickleball community values a high number of courts grouped together. He asked if the basketball court in the outdoor court complex could be eliminated or relocated to a different park to accommodate more pickleball courts. Markle stated the configuration could be revisited, but ideally the tennis and basketball courts would remain to appeal to the broadest spectrum of people. Case noted he is against the indoor facility due to the high volume of indoor courts available in the area. Toomey stated the indoor facility is too expensive, but she had thought a dome would be more cost effective. Markle explained domes are labor and cost intensive to set up, take down, and store. Domes are expensive to heat and cool and therefore don’t align with the City’s sustainability goals. Freiberg stated the indoor facility cost is too high. He agreed with the outdoor court proposal, noting the tennis and basketball courts are important to appeal to the broadest scope of people. Toomey asked if the City would let a third party build a facility on park property. Case stated the third party might charge exorbitant user fees, which would not be advantageous for residents. Markle stated if an outdoor court complex is pursued, the cost savings could be used to improve Riley Park courts. Case asked Staff to research if the tennis and basketball courts are critical at Miller Park, or if they could be relocated to Riley Park. This would allow for a higher cluster of pickleball courts at Miller Park, preferable in pickleball culture. Getschow stated having ten pickleball courts would be conducive for hosting large events such as tournaments but would most likely not change the normal resident’s routine. II. COMMISSION WORK PLANS a. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION 5:50 – 6:10 p.m. Getschow introduced Greg Leeper, Human Rights and Diversity Commission (HRDC) Chair. Leeper introduced Student Commission member Tamia Hassan, and Commission member Jody Knight. Hassan highlighted the work and dedication of full time and student commission members. Leeper added the number of full time and student commission members has grown in City Council Workshop Minutes January 16, 2024 Page 3 the past few years. Hassan explained multiple organizations have presented at HRDC meetings including Immigrants in Minnesota, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and Onward EP. HRDC has also engaged in multiple community events including pop up splash pads, the human library at PeopleFest!, and a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Town Hall. The City hosted its first Iftar celebration in 2023 designed to encourage community building and sharing of culture. Knight outlined HRDC’s 2024 goals including implementing the Eden Prairie Race Equity Report, increasing listening avenues to advocate for community needs, and creating spaces to promote inclusivity and community connection. Knight summarized HRDC’s 2024 initiatives including hosting community listening events to foster conversation with City leadership and facilitating collaborative community events including the Black History Month Words in Action Contest and Human Rights Awards. HRDC is also prioritizing recognition of culturally significant holidays and heritage months on the City’s social media channels. Leeper reiterated his gratitude for the HRDC full time and student commission members. b. FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION 6:10 – 6:30 p.m. Getschow introduced Dan Dorson, Flying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission (FCAAC) Chair. Dorson explained the FCAAC’s charter is to monitor the Final Agreement with the Flying Cloud Airport. The FCAAC receives community concerns and works to alleviate them. The largest community concerns are nighttime flights and training flights. Training flights at Flying Cloud Airport are increasing, resulting in a higher number of noise complaints. The FCAAC arranged for flight school staff to hear concerns from multiple resident groups. Case noted he met with Inflight Training to discuss resident concern over repetitive touch-and-go training exercises. Inflight Training was open to minimizing noise disruption for surrounding neighbors. Dorson stated Thunderbird Aviation had moved their flight training instruction to Crystal due to high Flying Cloud Airport traffic, however noise complaints remain. Case asked if most of the increase in aircraft operations from 2022 to 2023 were due to training flights. Dorson confirmed training flights account for a large portion of the increase. Flight training has significantly increased since the pandemic. Dorson explained there were 140 thousand aircraft operations at Flying Cloud Airport in 2023. The airport was at peak operation in 2000 with 180 thousand aircraft operations. Five percent of Flying Cloud’s aircraft operations occur between 10 p.m. and six a.m. Medical aircraft operators account for four of the five most frequent nighttime flights. Dorson stated the number of complaints currently mirror 2019 levels. Complaints in 2020 and 2021 increased as residents were home more often during the pandemic. Toomey noted there were 24 thousand resident complaints in 2020, decreasing to five thousand in 2023. Dorson confirmed the number of complaints decreased however the number of households filing complaints were equal, signaling some residents filed repeat complaints in 2020. City Council Workshop Minutes January 16, 2024 Page 4 Dorson summarized the Long-Term Plan, which denotes current and future needs of the airport. The Long-Term Plan discusses areas of airport safety to improve. An Engineered Material Arresting System has been proposed at the end of the runway to safely stop aircraft overruns. Case stated he agrees with this proposal to safely stop any aircraft overruns. Getschow stated the City can likely renew the Flying Cloud field lease for multiple years as hanger development isn’t expected in the near future. The lacrosse fields may need to be relocated as the land is expected to be developed sooner. Toomey asked if the Flying Cloud field rent will increase. Getschow answered the rent amount is currently $20 thousand, the anticipated future rent amount would not exceed $30 thousand. The lease will be brought to Council within the next few months. Case noted the Council has known the fields won’t be available forever but are trying to preserve them as long as possible. Dorson noted 2023 FCAAC accomplishments include acting as the voice of the community at Long-Term Planning sessions. The FCAAC met with all 14 ATP Flight School instructors in February to create awareness of noise complaints. The FCAAC contacted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration bring awareness to neighborhood noise concerns after a government plane was performing touch-and-go exercises in May. Dorson and the Metropolitan Airport Commission representatives lead a noise abatement safety seminar in September. The FCAAC will prioritize advocating for the community during Long-Term Planning sessions in 2024. Toomey asked if Flying Cloud Airport has size limitations on aircrafts. Dorson answered an aircraft must be under 60 thousand pounds to land at Flying Cloud. Case stated he believes improving technology will lead to a quieter airport in the decades to come. Case expressed appreciation for all commission members’ time and dedication. Open Podium - Council Chamber (6:30) III. OPEN PODIUM a. BILL SATTERNESS, RILEY PURGATORY BLUFF CREEK WATERSHED DISTRICT Bill Satterness, 8597 Red Oak Drive, stated he disagrees with the Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District (RPBCWD)’s purchase of the 28 acre parcel of land near the Frederick- Miller Spring. The RPBCWD is overstepping its role with this purchase and the funds should have gone toward improving lake quality. The County does not exercise enough oversight. Satterness asked the Council to object to the land purchase. Case stated the Council’s role is to manage development and does not have any oversight for the RPBCWD. The watershed district is appointed by the County. Case thanked Satterness for his time. IV. ADJOURNMENT