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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 01/31/1989 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL Tuesday, January 31 , 1989 7: 30 p.m. , City Hall 7600 Executive Drive COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Gary Peterson, Richard Anderson, Jean Harris, Patricia Pidcock, Douglas Tenpas COUNCILMEMBERS ABSENT: None CITY COUNCIL STAFF: City Manager Carl J. Jullie, Assistant to the City Manager, Craig Dawson, Director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, Robert A. Lambert I . APPROVAL OF AGENDA The meeting was called to order- at 7:35 p.m. Mayor Peterson added Discussion of Progress of M.P.C.A. Contested Case Hearing as the last item on the agenda. MOTION: Tenpas moved to approve the agenda as amended. art rri seconded the motion and it passed 5-0. P It . REVIEW OF PROJECTS PRESENTLY UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR K THE 1989 REFERENDUM - 808 LAMBERT z The public hearing was opened by Mayor Peterson who told the audience that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss items to be considered for the park bond referendum. g s Lambert reviewed an overhead which showed the projects under consideration for the bond referendum and estimated costs. a The following items were discussed: Land Acquisition: Bluff Park $2-2.5 million Staring Lake Park $450,000 Neighborhood Parks $200,000 per park Prairie East Park $100,000 Minnesota River Valley Floodplain No estimated cost Community Park Development: Miller Park & Youth Facilities $3,400,000 Round Lake Park (re-sod, re-seed) $30,000 Starting Lake Park (irrigation system) $30,000 Homeward Hills Park (landscaping & $40,000 renovating second floor of barn) APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL January 31 , 1989 -2- i rail System Development County Road a (from Round Lake Park $195,000 to Minnetonka with a bridge to be constructed over railroad tracks County Road 1 (Dell Road to $95,000 Riley Lake Road and Homeward Hills Road east to Co. Rd. 18) Hidden Ponds Park (develop trail $25,000 over abandoned railroad tracks to Chanhassen border) Purgatory Creek (Anderson Lakes $15,000 Parkway south to Staring Lake Park) Purgatory Creek (Mitchell Road north $25,000 of McDonald's east almost to Prairie Center Drive) Q Community Center-: Recreation staff offices and multi- $250,000 purpose room Fabric dome and ice rink $600, 000 Community Center entry $75,000 Peterson told the audience that suggestions for additional items for this list would be welcomed. A final decision on items to be included in the referendum will be made on February 14. Peterson suggested that miscellaneous items be discussed first, have a short break, discuss the second sheet of ice and then return to miscellaneous items. Kevin Dahl of 19159 Kristie Lane, representing the Eden Prairie Soccer Association, presented the Council with a petition of 233 signatures supporting Miller Park. Mr. Dahl was concerned with using Flying Cloud Fields since their use can be discontinued by the Metropolitan Airports Commission with 90 days notice. Doug Marsten of 16650 Baywood Terrace supported the trails along County Road 4. Mr. Marsten is a bicyclist and believes it is dangerous at that point. Doug Lawver of 16331 N. Hiilcrest Ct. suggested adding a children's pool at the Community Center and more gym space that could be used for boy's and girl's basketball. Mary Sue Krueger of 18321 Tristram Way suggested a skating. pond with a windbreak area and benches at Wyndham Knoll Park. Ms. Krueger presented the Council with 65 signatures supporting this request. i F APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL January 31, 1989 -3- ...y v.. 11911.50 . ...,..Zsu'i.a v.. c.G sugycJacta s1\.OLetlg I'I(lkj at neighborhood parks. Dale Wenkus of 8706 Leeward Circle, repesenting the Eden Prairie Football Association, supported Miller Park. Duane Essink of 10290 Edinburgh Circle said he wants to be able to afford the property taxes in Eden Prairie. Mr. Essink also wanted some of the items, but believed they could be scaled down since they are not needs, but just wants. Mr. Essink asked what was the taxpayers' cost for the present parks system and what the future costs would be if the bond referendum passed. Mr. Essink agreed that trails were needed, but disagreed with the second sheet of ice and improvements to the Community Center. Tenpas asked Mr. Essink what he felt would be an acceptable increase in tax base. Mr. Essink said he did not have a number available. °P Mr. Essink asked what portion of the land in Eden Prairie was being used for parks versus other cities in the Twin Cities area. Peterson asked Lambert to research this figure. A t Ron Holmstadt of 10250 Buckingham Dr. would like to keep the neighborhood park in his area as a small neighborhood park. He added that other residents were also opposed to adding a parking lot. Sven Gafvert of 8238 Tamarack Trail believed the total cost of the bond referendum was too high. Mr. Gafvert agreed that acquiring land at this time was important, but that support of all these projects would come in the future. He added that he believed Miller Park could be eliminated from the list. Steve Jacobs of 9420 Olympia Drive, who was on the Board of Directors of the Eden Prairie Football Association and the Bond Referendum Committee, did not feel it was appropriate for the City to compete with the private sector over items such as a golf course. He is opposed to the acquisition of land for golf course use,favored Miller Park and improvements to Flying Cloud Fields. Tom Bierman of 9560 Flyway Circle commended the City for allowing the citizens to speak on this issue and the Parks and Recreation Department for having the insight to make decisions on the City's future needs. Mr. Bierman was representing the Eden Prairie Soccer Association which served 850 youth last year. He encouraged the City to continue land acquisition for youth athletic facilities. Mr. Bierman also supported Miller Park, but urged the City to water fields at Flying Cloud during the summer. He added that the trails and park system in Eden Prairie was a big part of the decision to move here and he would be happy to pay a little more in taxes for better recreational facilities. Mr. Bierman believed that property values will increase when these projects are completed and he encouraged a trail system which would completely encompass the City and asked that the staff look into its feasibility. APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE C;TY COUNCIL January 31 , 1989 _y_ Glenn Friete�l of �7•f►17 1A► 7roa4. cr 1._d a._t t_•.. hb_..1___' •.�. I.. Vl// .Jl. Q70% tJ t11g1 II�L7 /IC�C�. UVVI I/VV4 be contacted when development proposals, etc. are under consideration. Mr. Fristed also asked why the developers aren't donating some of this land, rather than the City having to buy it. Lambert said that it doesn't always work well and if the City did not purchase some of the land, it may receive land that would not be useable. Mr. Fristed asked if the bond referendum will be itemized. Peterson said there may be one or two questions, but a definite decision has not been made. Mr. Fristed asked if there was a profit made from the Community Center. Lambert said no. Mr. Fristed asked where fees collected from adult teams were used. Lambert said the fees were used for improvements to the teams' fields. Tenpas added that the City Council monitored these issues, but there was not enough money made from fees collected to cover the projects listed in the referendum. Mary Campbell of 17918 W. South Shore Dr. would like to see a trail in Prairie View Park. Ray Dudycha of 6602 Shady Oak Dr. commented that the City had 100+ acres of land by Bryant Lake which could have been used for parks, but the City gave it up. Lambert said the parks at both Bryant Lake and Anderson Lakes were given by the City to the Metropolitan Council because they were proposed as regional parks. The parks are operated by Hennepin County Park Reserve instead of using City funds. Vicki Koenig of 7239 Topview Road was pleased that a referendum was being considered again. Ms. Koenig was interested om the trails system and would like to see improvements at Staring Lake. Mr. Gafvert added that he didn't understand previous comments about the City trying to compete with the private sector when some people couldn't afford the fees at places like Flagship. Woody Ginke: of 10530 White Tail Crossing, representing the Eden Prairie Hockey Association, said there was much need and demand for a second sheet of ice which could not only be used for hockey, but also for figure skating, open skating and by the high school . The current rink is always filled. Ginkei added that an ice rink would be the only revenue generating facility being considered on the referendum. Ginkel had considered an ice rink as a personal business venture several years ago, but was concerned with land acquisition and selling ice time during April and May. He believes it would be a break-even proposition. APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE C17Y COUNCIL January 31 , 1989 _ -5- Ginkel said the fabric .J, mnc -+ �. M...• .. .......� 7roS .; gvvv Nr'oIivSa, arid using a $75 per hour rate for rental, using the rink 6-7 hours per day and 12 hours per day on the weekend, revenue would be approximately $100, 000 per year. He believed it would be necessary to have one full-time person and one part-time person to clear the ice, etc. The current refrigeration system could be easily adapted for a second sheet of ice and would cost about one-third more than present costs ($10.000 more per year). Al Gallus of 9530 Garrison Way believed a second sheet of ice would be a definite plus to the community of Eden Prairie. Nancy Pudas commented that the scheduling problems and shortage 4 of ice time forced her nine-year-old son to choose between hockey a and church. This situation bothered her as a parent and she k believed a second sheet of ice would make better times available. Tom Meyer of 13695 Theresa Place, who was on the Eden Prairie Hockey Association Board of Directors and also coached two different teams, also had to choose between church and hockey because of the scheduling. Meyer believed a great deal of money is going out of the community because groups were buying ice at other locations because it was not available in Eden Prairie. He added that items included on the referendum list have been well palnned and would be a good investment for the taxpayers. �s Jane Anderson of 11005 Hyland Terrace believed that figure skaters are on the ice even earlier than those playing hockey. Many were choosing figure skating clubs in other communities because there was no ice time available in Eden Prairie. Ms. Anderson did not understand why a $600,000 item on the referendum has been defended so much compared to the $3 million for Miller Park. Tenpas asked how many families were involved In figure skating. Ms. Anderson estimated the figure to be 200-250 individuals. Tenpas asked how much additional ice time would be needed. Ms. Anderson said the team needed three double sessions per week. Richard Anderson asked if figure skaters skate year-round. Ms. Anderson said yes. Sven Gafvert believed that a large amount of money was always involved when discussing park facilities. He suggested clearing the snow off Staring Lake or Red Rock Lake and using this for skating. Tenpas commented that this would not solve the ice problem for teams such as hockey and figure skating. APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL January 31 , 1989 -6- C:::3stine Dodge of 15850 Westgate Dr. said ders .� S11c i.ir�U aiuvU iflaa the Hockey Association and Figure Skating Club would never be able to pay for such a facility . She asked if this were true. Lambert said yes. Ms. Dodge added that she understood that some residents were not in favor of a second sheet of ice when their families were not involved in hockey, yet they were expected to help pay for it. Harris stated that most items on the referendum will benefit the entire community, not just certain groups. Tenpas asked if the cost for an ice rink varied with either a `. permanent or dome structure. Lambert said a permanent structure would cost between $1 .3-$1 .5 million. k Bob Ahler of 19185 Maple Leaf Dfr. was a firm supporter of the second sheet of ice and believed sports, education and family life go hand in hand. i Mark Namtvedt of 10885 Hyland Terrace believed the items on this referendum will assure the quality of life the residents in Eden Prairie deserved and also :nsured future growth of the community. Stan Notermann of 7103 Parkview Lane, who coached a hockey team, commented that it was difficult for the youth to get involved in the sport when they had to play in a different community and not enough people showed up to play a game. Tom Bierman questioned whether It would be feasible to have the second sheet of ice in a different location, perhaps in the area of Eden Prairie Center. Lambert will take this under consideration. Al Gallus believed that the two sheets of ice should be kept at the same location because of hockey tournaments, administration costs, etc. John Brand of 6938 Autumn Terrace, representing the Men's Hockey Association, supported Ove second sheet of ice, but believed the priority at this point should be land acquisition. He suggested perhaps building the second sheet of ice in phases, as it had been at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. Brand also asked what was included in the $600,000 figure. Councilmember Anderson asked what the situation was for broomball and do they use recreational ice. Lambert said the second sheet of ice could be used for broomball if there were time available. i; z APROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL January 31 , 1989 -7- Craig Zemke of 14992 Williamsburg Ct. asked if any ice time was been sold to teams from outside Eden Prairie. Lambert said ice time was sold to non-residents only if the Eden Prairie team was not able to use the time and sold it. Zemke asked how many teams were involved and said he believed that adding a second sheet of ice would not solve the problem of early morning scheduling. Stan McDonald of 19030 Deerfield Trail believed a second sheet of ice would alleviate scheduling problems and add ice time. Not only youth hockey, but also figure skating, broomball, adult hockey and free skating could also use the ice. He also believed that a bond referendum was a wise decision to consider at this time. Bob Hallett of 17051 Valley Road commended City staff for their efforts and said he did not see any frills added to this referendum list. Hallett also commented that it was very important to acquire land for park use now and that the community itself will have to decide on a second sheet of ice. He added that the community has to support one another in order for the bond referendum to pass. Carla McCarty of 11007 Jackson Dr. believed the trails are important for everyone in the community. Mr. McDonald believed that an indoor running track would be excellent for senior citizen, joggers, etc. John Standal of 9955 Spring Road asked if the second sheet of ice could be considered separately from the other questions on the referendum. Tone Bushard of 8750 Darnel Road believed everyone in the community has to cooperate in order for the referendum to pass. Candy LeGrand of 9866 linden Dr. supported all items listed for the bond referendum. Pat Richard of 6793 Lorena Lane encouraged everyone to vote and supported all items on the bond referendum. Lambert clarified by stating that if all items listed were included In the bond referendum for a total of $8.7 million, the additional property taxes on an average priced home ($121 ,000) in Eden Prairie would be $33.58 per year. APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL January 31 , 1989 -8- f Curt Connaughty of 11860 Sunnybrook Road was proud that so much land has been acquired for parks and open space and he supported all of the items listed for the referendum. Pidcock addressed the audience regarding their cost concerns. She said although the Council was fiscally conservative, they also felt it was necessary to look at future needs. Vicki Koenig added that she believed land acquisition is extremely important and in the future the City will be happy they acquired as much land as possible now. Richard Anderson commented on the concern of early residents of Eden Prairie who wanted to preserve the natura! state of the community. if this bond referendum does not pass, the developers will acquire this land. Tenpas thanked the residents for attending the meeting. Peterson also commended the residents for attending the meeting and told them that a definite date for the bond referendum would be set later this month. V. DISCUSSION OF PROGRESS AT M.P.C.A, CASE HEARING Peterson updated the Council on the status of the hearing and mentioned that the residents' testimony had begun. He requested that Council members try to attend the hearings on Wednesday and Thursday, February 1 & 2. Council members indicated their ability and willingness to attend part of these hearings. Vt . ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Pidock moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:50 p.tn. Harris seconded the motion and it passed 5-0. Respectfully submitted, Lois Boettcher Recording Secretary