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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 09/04/2007 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2007 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Heritage Room 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: John Brill, Chair; Geri Napuck, Vice Chair; Rob Barrett, Tom Bierman, Lee Elliott- Stoering, Jeffrey Gerst and Joan Oko COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Randy Jacobus and Ian Mackay STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Margaret Krause, John Ostendorf and Steven Shouts COMMISSION STAFF PRESENT: Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director; Stu Fox, Parks and Natural Resources Manager; Laurie Obiazor, Recreation Services Manager; Beth Witt, Aquatic and Fitness Coordinator; and Carol Pelzel, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Chair Brill at 7:00 p.m. Brill welcomed the Commission's student representatives and asked that they introduce themselves. Brill explained that Ostendorf would be with the Commission through the fall while the other two students would be with the Commission the entire year. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Elliott-S toering asked that an update on the Budget Advisory Commission's recommendation be added to the agenda. Lotthammer indicated that this would be covered under X.A.2. 2008-09 Budget Proposal. Elliott-Stoering stated that the Commission had asked for some information on the citizen survey and the feedback from that survey including a summary of the questions asked and the answers received. Lotthammer responded that this information would be included in the October agenda material. Elliott-S toering said she would like to see the questions regarding parks and recreation including land acquisition for trails, dog parks, etc. Barrett said he would also like to see Heritage information. Motion: Gerst moved, seconded by Oko, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion carried, 7-0. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 2 III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —AUGUST 6, 2007 Bierman asked that the seventh line of the third paragraph, on Page 8 read "In response to a comment made by Fox regarding the charging of fees for athletic associations, Bierman explained that special interest groups such as youth athletic associations do their own registrations, coaching and refereeing and it doesn't cost the City anything." Elliott- Stoering asked that the word not be deleted from the third line of the second paragraph on Page 9 of the minutes. Motion: Napuck moved, Bierman seconded, to approve the August 6, 2007, Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission minutes as corrected. The motion carried, 6-0-1 with Barrett abstaining because of absence from that meeting. IV. APPROVED MINUTES —JULY 16, 2007 V. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION—AUGUST 7 and AUGUST 21, 2007 Lotthammer reported that the City Council took the following action at their August 7 meeting: ■ Awarded a contract for construction of the County Road 4 bike trail. Lotthammer explained that the Eden Prairie News will be doing a story about biking in Eden Prairie and it will be highlighting some of the connections that they will be making. ■ Awarded bids for the Community Center interior architectural woodwork and sports/wood floor. Approximately 80 percent of the bids have been awarded. Lotthammer reported that there were no items on the August 21 City Council agenda affecting Parks and Recreation. VI. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION Fox reported that at the August 13 meeting, the Planning Commission approved the extension of Prospect Road and Development of Cedar Hills Golf Course for the Oak Creek at Hennepin Village project. They also approved a nine-lot subdivision for the William Small Property. Both projects are being developed by Pemtom Development Properties and will generate park fees. Fox further reported that at the August 27 Planning Commission meeting the redevelopment of the Best Buy property was approved. The property is being divided into two large parcels and will be part of an office building. This project will also generate cash park fees. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 3 In response to a question regarding the clubhouse at Cedar Hills Golf Course, Fox explained that they are proposing to remove the clubhouse and build a pool and recreation area for the residents within the development. The hill itself will be retained as City ownership with a small section in the middle carved out and owned by the Association. The City will retain a majority of the creek corridor. VII. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION A. BEACHES UPDATE Beth Witt, Aquatic and Fitness Coordinator, presented an overview of the 2007 Round Lake Park and Riley Lake Park beach operations. She reported that Round Lake Beach was reopened for the first time since 2003 and explained the various changes that were made to the beach and its operation. Witt further reported that there were some uncontrollable factors including low water levels, inability to use the diving platform because of the lower water level, lake weeds and heavy rains resulting in high E. coli counts. Brill asked if staff felt Round Lake was successful this year. Witt said she felt it was successful in some aspects. She felt it was wise to have limited hours during the week. Most of the weekly participation came from the Parks and Recreation playground camps. They found that mostly families utilized the beach during the weekends. They did have some uncontrollable factors this summer including not having been opened for the past three summers. Witt explained that it was difficult to control the weeds. Brill said he feels that 2008 will be a critical year for Round Lake. If participation is not sufficient, they will have to take a look at the beach operations to determine if it is cost effective to keep the beach open. Bierman said the beach had been closed because of E. coli counts and weeds. He asked how these issues were being addressed for future years to minimize or eliminate the problems. Witt responded that part of the problem with E. coli was not because of geese because there were no geese at the beach this year. The significant rainfall caused the problem. Fox pointed out that the E. coli count did not mean there was a health hazard but that there was a potential for a health hazard. He explained that E. coli occurs when they have a huge flush of rain. Both beaches were tested by the Hennepin County Health Department and they alerted the City to a high E. coli count. There were lakes throughout the metro area that were closed for the same reason. It is a safety precaution. Fox explained that with regard to the weeds,had they been more aggressive on weed harvesting they may not have had a problem. The beach was not open for three summers and there was a lot of weed growth. The day they wanted to harvest the weeds was very windy and they had a difficult time getting the weeds cut. If they had gone in last fall and done some treatment and cutting there may not have been a weed problem. Staff now knows the benefit of getting in there earlier than they did to cut the weeds. Fox said they will be doing a treatment yet this fall. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 4 Witt further explained that another uncontrollable item was the water level. Because of the low level, there was more muck than sand on the extended beach. There were a lot of issues because of the lack of rain. Brill asked what percentage of usage at the beach was day camp participants. Witt estimated that between 45 and 50 participants were from the day camp between the hours of 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. VIII. NEW BUSINESS A. LIONS CLUB MEMORIAL Lotthammer introduced Luther Nelson and Mike Gust, members of the Eden Prairie Lions Club explaining that the Lions Club is requesting permission to locate their Lions Club Memorial within Round Lake Park. Previously, the memorial was located on the corner of Valley View Road and Eden Prairie Road. When the road was upgraded and widened, the memorial was removed due to lack of space and proper setbacks. Lotthammer further explained that the Lions Club had previously contributed towards the pavilion at Round Lake and are now asking that the memorial be placed near that pavilion. Brill thanked the Lions Club for their service to the community. He asked if there had been any discussion about placing the memorial at Purgatory Creek Park rather than Round Lake. Lotthammer said there had not been any discussion with staff regarding placing the memorial at Purgatory Creek. The Lions did contribute $8,000 towards the pavilion and there has been a lot of involvement by the Lions at Round Lake Park and that is why the Lions suggested placing the memorial in that park. Gerst said he is in favor of the memorial but also questioned whether or not Purgatory Creek Park had been considered. Lotthammer said his initial reaction to placing the memorial at Purgatory Creek is that while working with the Veterans Memorial group and the configuration of the park and the various trails, the park is beginning to feel a bit squished. Lotthammer said he was not sure where they would be able to fit this memorial in that park. Fox explained that the Lions basically started a lot of the activities at Round Lake. In identifying a park with a service club, the Lions Club is most easily identified with Round Lake and this memorial seems to be an appropriate use of this area. This park is also where the Lions' sponsored Schooner Days is held. Gerst asked if there is a cost to the City for relocating this memorial. Lotthammer responded that Hennepin County has committed money to install the memorial that was impacted by the road construction. Nelson explained that the County paid for the removal and storage of the memorial and will pay for its relocation through transportation funds. Barrett asked if they are setting a precedent for other groups and questioned if they should be concerned with other organizations asking to place memorials in other PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 5 parks. Fox responded that there are other service groups in the City and this is certainly something worth discussing. Barrett said if that is the case,perhaps they should consider placing all memorials in Purgatory Creek. He indicated that his concern is that other organizations may want to place memorials on City property. Originally, this memorial was on private property and now they are asking that it be placed on City property. Oko asked how long the Lions Club has been sponsoring the corn feed and Schooner Days at this park. Gust explained that the Lions Club was chartered in 1960 and the first corn feed was held in 1973 and Schooner Days has been at Round Lake since the early 70's. Oko asked if any of these events are supported with City funds. Gust said that the Lions Club funds these activities. Bierman said he feels the placement of this memorial in Round Lake Park is a natural fit because of the Lions' background at Round Lake. He said that if someone can show the dedication to a particular area in the City that the Lions Club has shown at Round Lake, they should consider welcoming those people in placing a memorial in that area. Oko asked when this memorial would be reconstructed at Round Lake. Nelson responded that once they receive approval from the City, they would get a contract for the project in the fall to have the work done in the spring. Napuck said she feels that if they are concerned about setting a precedent, they should somehow develop some guidelines as to what contributions have been made by the requesting group to the area that they are requesting to place a memorial in. Clearly this park has meaning to the Lions Club and it seems appropriate to have the memorial placed there. Barrett said it would be difficult to quantify the contributions made. You can say a significant contribution was made at a location but what does that mean. Oko pointed out that in addition to the $8,000 contributed by the Lions Club for the pavilion, they have contributed 50 years of work into the community and it is clear that Eden Prairie has benefited from their contribution. MOTION: Bierman moved, seconded by Oko, that as a result of nearly 50 years of contributions to Round Lake Park, the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission supports the request from the Eden Prairie Lions Club to locate the Lions Club Memorial within Round Lake Park. The motion carried, 6-0-1 with Barrett abstaining. Barrett explained that he abstained because he feels they should discuss the precedent this action would set. B. CAMP EDEN WOOD UPDATES Lotthammer explained that the purpose for the Camp Eden Wood update this evening is to present overview steps that have previously been taken, opportunities and constraints that have been identified, and to seek Commissioners input. The consultant, Jeff Schoenbauer of Brauer& Associates, will present an overview of the process,request input and outline future steps to be taken. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 6 Schoenbauer outlined some of the steps taken in developing a master plan for Camp Eden Wood and explained the contemplated design challenges and opportunities. The plans he is presenting this evening are broad conceptual plans and they have several things they still have to work through. Schoenbauer said this evening he would like to review the plans with this Commission to make sure they have not missed anything the Commission would be concerned about. He reviewed with the Commission the various concepts and explained that there is a certain appeal for having multiple buildings for sleeping accommodations. This concept would give them more flexibility with maintaining the buildings and in working with the different types of groups they can accommodate. Bierman asked if there would be a separation issue between participant gender and age. Schoenbauer responded that they want to have programmatic control so there would be different wings in the buildings. The smaller buildings give them more flexibility and multiple buildings may be better. The physical footprint of the larger facility tends to detract from the site character. Oko pointed out that Concept 3 has two buildings and she asked if they would be divided by sex and age. Schoenbauer explained that Concept 3 has smaller buildings and a given building could be devoted to a particular sex or type of client. The larger buildings could have different wings devoted to a particular sex or type of client. Oko asked if having two buildings would affect energy conservation. Lotthammer responded that Friendship Ventures staff indicated that depending on the time of the year and how busy they are, they could use only one building where with the larger building they are unable to close any of it down. Oko asked if the smaller buildings could be divided if necessary. Schoenbauer said he would assume so but will look into that further. The room layouts are still under consideration. Barrett asked if this camp is a year round operation. Lotthammer explained that the camp is used everyday during the summer months and on the weekends during the winter months. They do rent out the facilities for sleeping arrangements such as for quilting weekends, etc. The new dining hall is also rented out for weddings and receptions all year. Oko asked if they are trying to be as green as possible and energy efficient. Schoenbauer answered that this is a program element but they are not at that point at this time but will certainly look at that at the appropriate time. Bierman asked who would be making the final decision on the three concepts. Lotthammer explained that at this stage, they are trying to gather the necessary information and it may be a collective decision. There are policies that have to be addressed that drive these plans. These plans will go through a complete review with the various organizations and certain guidelines have to be met including guidelines of the State Historical Preservation Office. This is a City facility and Friendship Ventures is leasing it from the City. Bierman asked where they were at with funding this project. Lotthammer responded that they do have a$6.2 million request to the PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 7 State for bond dollars. They do not expect to hear on that request until May 2008. If that request is not approved, the Master Plan will still be of great value. The Plan will assist the various organizations in developing this site even if it has to be done in phases. Barrett asked if the existing rope course has been discussed. Lotthammer said they have not discussed it but one of the concepts does require that it be moved or adjusted. Elliott-S toering asked if there would have to be any significant grading. Schoenbauer said that at this point, there will be nothing major done to the site's integrity. They are trying to fit the buildings into the existing site. Elliott-Stoering asked how far the parking area is located from the dorms. Schoenbauer said that Friendship Ventures does not have a problem with the parking lot location from a program standpoint. They encourage their participants to walk. Oko said it may be difficult to walk on the path during the winter months. Schoenbauer said this is something they could review further. Napuck asked if the changes made to this property prior to this process were part of this plan. Do they have to redo or modify any of those changes? Schoenbauer explained that what has been done to date will work well for them. Lotthammer pointed out that some of the site modifications that were done have been identified and they have stopped that work and are not doing any further work. Schoenbauer said Friendship Ventures recognizes that they have to be responsible and play by the rules if they want the benefit of the City's participation. They do have a better understanding about the whole dynamics of the operation and realize it will only work if everyone is doing their part. Bierman asked if 35 parking spaces is adequate for this site. Schoenbauer explained that according to their program demands it is. They are looking at overflow capabilities if necessary for future use. If additional parking is needed for an event, they can open up the gate and have cars parked in that area. Bierman suggested that they look at making the road a turn around in Concept 2. This would allow for additional parking. He also suggested that they show future plans without the trees on the site. It is good to see the trees but it would also be helpful to have a plan that shows the actual buildings of the complex for clarification. Bierman expressed his thanks for the great outline of the project that was included in their agenda material. Lotthammer explained that these plans would be going to the Historic Preservation Commission on September 17 and before Friendship Ventures Board. The Planning Commission will also be reviewing them. Elliott-S toering asked if any of these proposals would require variances. Lotthammer said they are aware of the variances but are trying to stay away from them. Schoenbauer said they would make sure that the final report has enough graphic and written information for the items that were controversial in the past and so that the reader can understand the decisions made and the key concerns, etc. IX. REPORTS OF STAFF PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 8 A. DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION 1. Status of Park Improvement on MAC Property In response to the Commission's request for an update on the status of park improvements on MAC property, Lotthammer reported that Fox did contact MAC regarding this issue and had received a voicemail message from them. They indicated that they are getting close to receiving all of the necessary approvals so that some time early next spring they will be able to enter into a lease with the City. The City proposes to add on to the lease extending their use of the property further west from where the current fields are. They are also proposing a 30-year lease for Cedar Hills to construct a neighborhood park on that piece of property. Fox explained that City staff will be preparing plans and specifications for these projects so that they can get the bids out in January, 2008. This will enable them to begin construction next summer once approval is obtained. 2. 2008-09 Budget Proposal Lotthammer explained that two attachments had been included in the Commission's agenda material including a memo from the City Manager to the City Council regarding the budget and the Budget Advisory Commission (BAC) recommendations with the City Manager's responses. The BAC is new to the City and they were asked to look at the City's budgeting process and to make recommendations to the City Council for potential cost savings. The City Manager prepared a budget, Version 1, which was developed by the City Manager and City staff and a second budget, Version 2, which included the BAC recommendations. Lotthammer reviewed Version 2 of the budget explaining that two of the biggest drivers in the budget are wages and upgrades and increased space of the Community Center. The Parks and Recreation Department is being asked to look at possible cuts in other areas to accommodate the growth of the Community Center. They have been asked to cut between $70,000 and $80,000 in costs. The City Manager has asked that they not look at core services, such as parks and natural resources,but to look at supplementary services such as recreation programming for these cuts. Lotthammer further explained that staff has been meeting to develop a list of first round cuts for review by the City Manager. There are some areas that have not been utilized as much as they have been in the past and they would be looking at those areas for possible reductions in service. Lotthammer said staff is examining the entire budget to determine where they can make changes. The BAC did meet as a group fairly recently to come up with a list of recommendations. One of the other issues discussed was Housing and Human Services and closing the Senior Center and merging it with the Community Center. Both of these items are being discussed by the City Council this evening. Lotthammer said that based on comments from the City Council during their work session this evening, it appeared that they did not support PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 9 moving forward with any further study to move the Senior Center to the Community Center. Lotthammer stated that one of the areas they will be looking at is subsidy for programming. Staff will bring back that information to this Commission and then to the City Council with a recommendation. Barrett said he thinks this is a great process and one of the things that came out of it was that some of the programs in the Recreation Program are not fully utilized and others serve only a very few residents. Barrett pointed out that this is something this Commission has talked about in the past and he feels it is not possible to have the recreation programs be self-sufficient. This is something this Commission needs to be vigilant about. Lotthammer said the key word is "or" establish cost recovery levels. Staff is being asked to review what was done in 1995 and to give this Commission updates on staff's review of the programs and plans to make some of the programs self-sufficient or to establish cost recovery levels. They may develop different categories and they may have to tweak some of those things. It is time for staff to review the various programs and the cost for operating those programs. Barrett said it is important that they don't price participants out of the programs. Elliott-Stoering asked where they are at with deciding what cuts are to be made. She asked if the City Manager will decide what will be cut and if this Commission will have an opportunity for input. Lotthammer said staff would prepare this information for the City Manager and they would bring that information before this Commission for their review. Elliott-Stoering asked for the definition of core services. She asked if they were talking about umbrellas at Round Lake versus lifeguards. Lotthammer explained that the City Manager sees those items as being supplementary. He defines core services as Police, Fire, Environmental protection, etc. Elliott-S toering said it is important that they be cognizant of the core items in determining if that is where they want to spend that money. Barrett asked what would happen if this Commission asked the City Council to assign the task of determining what cuts should be made to this Commission rather than to staff. Brill said he had sent an e-mail to the City Council on his own behalf regarding BAC's recommendation and their recommendation not coming before this Commission prior to going to the City Council. Brill indicated that it was his understanding that BAC was set up so it would not trump the work of other Commissions. Some of the BAC recommendations and proposals appeared to do just that with this Commission. He asked how they could take some control of BAC's recommendations since they have the knowledge base. Lotthammer suggested that the Commission give staff an opportunity to analyze possible cuts. Staff has worked on these programs on a day-to-day basis and this is probably an exercise they should go through every year. Staff would bring back to this Commission a list of possible cuts and they would welcome comments from the Commission. Once a list of cuts is agreed to, the list and Commission comments would be forwarded to the City Council. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 10 Barrett said he is concerned that the moving of the Senior Center is being decided without any comments from this Commission. Elliott-S toering said it has been perceived that this Commission made the recommendation to BAC to move the Senior Center. Bierman said if this Commission had discussed moving the Senior Center to the Community Center the entire configuration of the Community Center would have been changed. Lotthammer explained that this Commission will be making a presentation to the City Council on October 2 and this may be a good opportunity to bring forward their concerns regarding the process. Brill said this has been frustrating for him since the Commission was never consulted during this entire process. Fox reported that one of the things that probably pushed the whole process along was the fact that BAC was not formed until well into April. Staff was preparing the budgets when the Commission was started and this is the first time they have gone through the process and there wasn't enough time to present the information to this Commission. Fox said the Commission's feedback is very important and the Commission should recommend that in the future there be more interaction between BAC and the various commissions for their feedback. Lotthammer pointed out that the Council received B AC's final recommendation less than a week ago. The information was pulled together very quickly. Napuck asked if BAC is done with their tasks. Lotthammer responded that the Mayor was very clear that BAC is now done. Their recommendation has been handed over and the budget is in the hands of the City Council and they are responsible for it. Barrett said this Commission is the forum for citizens to bring forth their concerns. This Commission can make a recommendation to the City Council based on the information received. Gerst said it has been explained that the reason this Commission did not have the opportunity to review BAC's recommendations was because of timing. He said he feels it should have gone through the process and this Commission should not be about convenience. This Commission is a resource for the citizens to talk to. The Commission has been bypassed on other items that have gone directly to the City Council because there was not enough time. Gerst said it should be an exception when items are bypassed this Commission rather than a common place thing. If it just becomes a convenience thing, this Commission becomes less valuable. He feels that they need to reiterate that this Commission is here to be used and if it is not used, it should not exist. MOTION: Brill moved, seconded by Barrett, to recommend that the Budget Advisory Commission make all recommendations relative to Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources to the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission prior to City Council discussion. The motion carried, 7-0. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 11 Brill asked that staff present the proposed 2008-2009 budget to this Commission for review. Barrett said that if BAC has questions regarding park trails, etc. he would like to have them come and talk to this Commission. MOTION: Brill moved, seconded by Gerst, to direct staff to provide a summary of the Version I and II budget proposals of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources 2008-2009 budgets and a summary of proposed budget cuts prior to City Council review. The motion carried, 7-0. 3. PRNR Meeting Work Plan Lotthammer reported that included with the Commission's agenda material was a copy of the Commission's work plan. A Commission presentation before the City Council is scheduled for October 2. Lotthammer indicated that staff will be adding items to the October work plan based on tonight's meeting. 4. Off-Leash Area Improvements/Licensins! Information Lotthammer explained that he discussed enforcement of dog licensing with the Police Department and Animal Control and he also talked to the Dog Licensing division. It was indicated to him that it is a complaint driven scenario. Revenue for dog license sales offset the cost of the permits and administration of those permits and is not intended to offset the cost of the animal control officers. Included with the Commission's agenda material was a copy of a table showing what could be done at the off-leash areas, what it would cost and the funding sources for those costs. Lotthammer indicated that the costs for these improvements are not out of the ordinary or extraordinary based on what is done for other park areas. Oko said there should be bags and a dispenser at each park. Also, if the trees planted at Flying Cloud Drive are little they may not survive because dogs will harm them. Fox said the trees will probably be planted outside of the fenced area. Oko presented an update on the Three-Rivers dog park explaining that it will be open in October. All of the amenities will not be in place until the spring. Bierman questioned the expenditure of$10,000 to $15,000 to bring in a water connection at Staring Lake. He asked why they could not bring in a locked water container. Fox responded that the City's Risk Manager recommended that they not do this because they cannot guarantee that the water will remain safe. Bierman said he is not able to support the supplying of dog bags even though it is an insignificant amount of money. Users should be responsible to bring their own bags. Oko said the bags would increase compliance with people cleaning up after their dogs. If they are not willing to put money into enforcement, they should make the bags available and hope that they will use them. Bierman said this would set a precedent since there are four or five other dog parks in the City. He suggested that they place signs at the dog parks asking the owners to PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 12 pick up after their dogs and that they try it for one year. Bierman said he is concerned about the concept and about setting a precedent. He asked if anyone checked into having someone supply the bags at no cost to the City. Elliott- Stoering said if they have an owner who does not pick up after their dogs, she is not sure providing bags will change that. Barrett said it would probably help and considering the small investment he would not be opposed to providing the bags. Bierman said if they are proposing benches in the dog park they should also consider upgrading the benches at Staring Lake. Elliott-Stoering pointed out that the City has a lot of park facilities that don't have water and they expect the parents of small children to provide their own water. So she said she does not think it is unreasonable for dog owners to bring water for their dogs. Elliott-S toering said she has a hard time spending $15,000 to extend a water connection for the dogs while other neighborhood parks may also want water. They could be setting a precedent by bringing water into a dog park and it would make it difficult to say no to a neighborhood park. Off-Leash Areas—Pro osed Amenities September 2007 Item Qty Cost Total Cost Funding Source Timing Picnic Table 2 $750 $1,500 2007 Operating Fall 2007 — Spring 2008 Bench 6 $500 $3,000 2007/08 Operating Fall 2007 — Spring 2008 Bags with 1 $200 $200 2007 Operating Fall 2007 Dispenser Case of Refill 1 $75 $75 2007 Operating Fall 2007 Bags (800-1,000 bags depending on vendor) Sun Shelter 2 $10,000 $20,000 PIF Summer 2008 10'x10, Water Connection $10,000- $10,000- CIP/PIF Coordinate with at Staring Lake $15,000 $15,000 Cry Rd 1 Project Xcel Security $500 - $1,000 $500 - $1,000 2007/08 Operating Spring 2008 Light at Flying plus monthly plus monthly Cloud Dr charge charge Trees at Flying 3 $300 $900 2008 Operating Spring 2008 Cloud Dr Estimated Total $36,175— $41,675 MOTION: Oko moved, seconded by Napuck, to support staff recommendations for improvements to the off-leash dog park areas and to encourage the inclusion of the proposed improvements within the recommended funding sources. Oko pointed out that at Flying Cloud there is no shade and they do have a number of disabled people who bring their dogs and there is no place for them PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 13 to sit to be out of the sun. There is the same situation at Staring Lake. Barrett said that is true of all of the City's parks. He said he did not think they should put up sun shades at each park. Bierman said that he thinks the baseball and soccer people would love to have some shade. He asked why they would not come to this Commission and ask for something similar to what is being provided at the dog parks. Bierman said this does set a precedent. Napuck suggested that they require people using the dog park to pay a different fee than those who just license their dog and don't use the park to offset some of the costs. Lotthammer responded that the amount they would collect would be fairly insignificant and would probably only offset the administrative time spent. He said it is an amenity for that specific user. Dog park users are not asking for bleachers or backstops. Each use has certain requirements and each sport activity has different requests. Oko amended her motion to revisit the placement of sun shelters at the dog park as a budget item in 2008. Napuck seconded the amendment. Vote was called on the amended motion to support staff recommendations for improvements to the off-leash dog park areas and to encourage the inclusion of the proposed improvements, with the exception of the two sun shelters valued at $20,000, within the recommended funding sources. The sun shelters will be revisited as a budget item in 2008. The motion carried, 5-2 with Elliott- Stoering and Bierman voting nay. B. MANAGER OF RECREATION SERVICES The following items were presented to the Commission as information items only. 1. Sunbonnet Day 2. A Collection of One Act 3. Senior Center Echoes 4. Ice Lessons School's Out Programs 5. Welcome to Ice Skating C. MANAGER OF PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES 1. Staring Lake Off-Leash Area— Storm Sewer Construction Update Fox presented an update on the Storm Sewer Construction taking place at Staring Lake off-leash area. They have completed the installation and anticipate that final grading and reseeding will take place within the next two weeks. Oko questioned why they are seeding. Fox explained that the Watershed District requires seeding as part of the erosion control. Discussion was held regarding the replacement and location of trees. X. NEXT MEETING PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 4, 2007 Page 14 The next regular meeting of the Commission is scheduled for Monday, October 1, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. XI. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Gerst moved, Elliot-Stoering seconded, to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 7-0. The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m.