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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 12/05/2000 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP/FORUM TUESDAY,DECEMBER 5,2000 5:00-6:55 PM, CITY CENTER HERITAGE ROOM H CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Jean Harris, Councilmembers Sherry Butcher,Ronald Case, and Nancy Tyra-Lukens CITY COUNCIL STAFF: City Manager Chris Enger, Parks & Recreation Services Director Bob Lambert, Manager of Recreation Services Laurie Obiazor, Public Works Services Director Eugene Dietz, Community Development and Financial Services Director Don Uram, Director of Management Services Natalie Swaggert, City Attorney Roger Pauly, and Recorder Lorene McWaters VISITORS: Jan Mosman, Councilmember-Elect I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER—MAYOR JEAN HARRIS Mayor Hams called the meeting to order at 5:15 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA HI. CONFERENCE CALL WITH DOUG GRIFFEN REGARDING COMMUNITY FORUM RESULTS Doug Griffen, of D.W. Griffen&Associates,provided an overview of results of the Community Forum(held October 27 and 28,2000). Sessions were facilitated to focus participants on: • What makes Eden Prairie Eden Prairie • How will Eden Prairie change • What programs and services are desired • What could be eliminated or reduced • Why participants choose to live in Eden Prairie • Feedback regarding the forum Griffen said major themes emerging from the sessions included: • Lifestyle is a highly regarded value for Eden Prairie residents • Leisure services and support are important to residents • Leadership in lifestyle,not just leisure services,is valued • Eden Prairie's population is getting older, and will continue to diversify Each participant had a laptop computer on which to respond to questions and view real-time input. This allowed for anonymous participation and automated capture of responses. COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES December 5, 2000 Page 2 Participant demographics reflected: • A realistic gender balance (48%men/52%women) • Average of 12.5 years residing in Eden Prairie • 94%homeownership • 61%with children under 18 years at home • 75% attended college, 50%hold a degree • The majority of households had annual incomes between$50k and$100k What makes Eden Prairie Eden Prairie?Respondents mentioned open spaces and parks, a small-town atmosphere, a feeling of community, and a sense that the City is well managed. Eighty percent feel somewhat or well informed about parks and facilities. Ninety-four percent rated parks and facilities as good or excellent, and more than 50 percent said they had used park facilities within the past 12 months. Users indicated a relatively high level of satisfaction. A smaller percentage had participated in recreational programs. Open space.Fifty-nine percent indicated that when Eden Prairie reaches full buildout in the next several years,there will be about the right amount of open space remaining. Thirty- eight percent would like to see more open space, and 3 percent said there will be too much. Griffen noted that in the 20-34 year old category, 61 percent believe there will be too little open space. What will Eden Prairie look like in 2020? Some participants cited negatives such as traffic congestion, loss of open space, overuse of parks,potential growth in crime, and a growing airport. However,participants also expect the"downtown"to become more developed, foresee a lower overall growth rate, and have a sense that we will value our history. Griffen noted unique growth factors that will effect development of services,. including little land availability; an affluent and well-educated population that values open spaces,parks and trails; an aging population with active interests; and predictable, small and manageable growth. What services will be desired in 2010? These included continuing education for seniors, affordable physical fitness activities, an upgraded community center, activities for teens, a defined downtown area,preservation of open spaces and clean lakes, library services and city-friendly walking. Participants indicated that if these types of services are provided,the City can expect to attract new,young families to a community in which open spaces,parks and trails are a centerpiece. They see the possibility of Eden Prairie becoming a model for the region. What could be reduced or eliminated? Participants were hard pressed for answers to this question. Some voiced concerns over the airport, and cited the need to balance youth programs as the population ages. Downtown Center/Park.Participants indicated strong support for a downtown center/park that they envision hosting community events. Such an area would need to be unique, include green space, and avoid commercialism. COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES December 5, 2000 Page 3 Flying Cloud Airport Buffer. Some respondents advocated leaving the area untouched,but there was reasonable support for a golf course as long as it is multi-purpose,has a family orientation and includes open space. Community Center.Respondents suggested a variety of incremental improvements, including locker room renovations, an indoor walking area,more teen activities, etc. If the facility were to be expanded,there is support for a water park. Input on historical sites. Suggestions for the Cummins-Grille House included historical reenactments, school programs, a gift shop, and art shows. Accentuating the rural aspect of the Riley-Jacques homestead was also mentioned. Although they are not the highest priority, there seems to be support for historical sites as long as costs are modest and expenses can be shared. Special use facilities. Eighty percent feel Eden Prairie should develop its own special use facilities, even if similar ones are available in surrounding communities. Eighty-eight percent support the idea of sharing development costs through partnerships. Preferences on interaction with the City. Thirty-nine of 93 respondents said they would prefer a direct phone call, 34 prefer electronic communications, 8 prefer a personal meeting, 7 prefer a 24-hour response line, and the remaining 5 named other methods of communication. Griffen opened the discussion to Councilmembers and Staff. Councihnember Butcher asked if Griffen thought the results of the paper survey would echo the data gathered from the Forum sessions. Griffen said he expects the survey will help provide even more detailed information than that from Forum sessions. Butcher noted that the survey distribution is to all Eden Prairie households versus the random phone recruiting done for the Forum sessions. She asked if Griffen expects any unusual results due to this difference. Griffen referred this question to Kerry Hill of Wirthlin Worldwide, the firm that coordinated recruitment efforts. Hill said every methodology has pros and cons, and that both types of surveys are"self- selecting,"in that only people who are personally motivated will complete either type of session or survey. Griffen said any survey data that appears contrary to that collected from the Forum will be flagged. Mayor Harris said she had spoken to several participants immediately following one of the Forum sessions and that all felt it was a worthwhile exercise. They also thanked Mayor Harris for the opportunity to be involved. Some indicated they liked the fact that the laptop technology allowed summary results to be immediately available. IV. CONFERENCE CALL WITH KERRY HILL OF WIRTHLIN WORLDWIDE REGARDING RECRUITMENT METHODOLOGY AND COMMUNITY SURVEY Hill briefly covered recruitment methodology for the Forum. 120 Eden Prairie residents were recruited via phone to attend the Forum sessions. 93 people actually participated in the sessions,which were divided by age group: 55 and older, 45 to 54, 35 to 44, and 20 to 34. The margin of error for this sample size is ±10% at the 95% confidence level. Hill said the sample of people attending the sessions provided good representation across demographics COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES December 5, 2000 Page 4 with the exception of home type and ownership. The sample included a high proportion of residents who own a single family home. Hill also noted that the use of laptop technology and data capturing software provided the Forum results with a much higher level of confidence than a standard"qualitative"survey. V. OTHER TOPICS A. FINAL CHANGES TO COMMUNITY SURVEY Enger asked for final input on the survey, and noted that the Council had already provided input at the November 21, 2000,Workshop. Council asked the choice"No Change"be added to both charts. In the question on communication with the City, it was suggested that the choice"Personal Letter"be added since it had been mentioned at a Forum session. Councihnember Tyra-Lukens questioned the value of question 1 and asked if it could be left out. Council agreed that the question could be cut in the interest of saving space. Councilmembers Tyra-Lukens and Case questioned the wording and necessity of question 7, since historic sites are also addressed in question 8. Enger noted that the Council had asked for information to be gathered on this issue in the survey, and asked Griffen to review Forum outcomes on this topic. Griffen indicated the results did not show heavy support for historic sites. He said historic sites was ranked 25th on the list of priorities for one of the sessions. However,he noted that qualitative input indicates that there is support for historic sites in a"modest, cost-shared environment."Mayor Harris agreed that she found question 7 confusing, and suggested eliminating it. Council agreed to remove the question. Tyra-Lukens brought up the possibility of using the survey to ask critical questions not directly related to parks and recreation. She wondered if it could be used as a vehicle to get input on the airport issue. Hill said such a question could be incorporated without compromising the integrity of the survey,but cautioned that there may be a space problem since the survey must fit onto four pages. Councilmember Case said he had drafted a question asking respondents to rank the three most critical problem/need areas in Eden Prairie over the next few years. Responses could include traffic congestion, crime,youth services,the airport and others. Butcher expressed concern about an unrelated question being asked in the survey; however Hill said people will likely think of this in terms of a community survey rather than just a parks and recreation services survey. She noted the concerns Council had had with the ranking questions already in the survey and suggested having each person rank each issue on a scale. Case suggested asking respondents to choose their top three areas of concern. It was agreed that the question would be included and that the final form would be worked out later in the week. VI. COUNCIL FORUM—FRIENDS OF THE BIRCH ISLAND WOODS Due to a lack of time,Mayor Harris asked Jeff Strate and Geri Westermann if they would present the results of their meeting with the Hennepin County Board during the Council Meeting. Strate agreed,but indicated there was one piece of information they wished to convey to the Council off-camera. He said that Commissioner Randy Johnson had inquired, COUNCIL WORKSHOP 1VHNUTES December 5, 2000 Page 5 off-the-record,whether or not the City has considered conducting an archaeological survey of the Birch Island Woods. Butcher said she did not know,but was willing to research the question. Case asked whether or not the Council could ask for such a survey at the Council Meeting. Butcher said a survey of this type is usually requested only when land is being altered in some way, and suggested making a request to determine whether or not a survey has been conducted and having the results forwarded to the Council. Mayor Harris indicated such a request would fall under the Petitions and Requests portion of the agenda. VIH. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Harris adjourned the meeting at 6:55 p.m.