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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 10/02/2006 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2006 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: John Brill, Chair; Geri Napuck, Vice Chair; Rob Barrett, Tom Bierman, Lee Elliott-Stoering, Randy Jacobus, Ian Mackay and Michael Moriarity COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Jeffrey Gerst STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Jennifer Dworak, Elise Garon and William Wahlers COMMISSION STAFF PRESENT: Bob Lambert, Director of Parks and Recreation Services; Stu Fox, Manager of Natural Resources; Sandy Werts, Arts and Special Events 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. Dworak introduced herself as a student representative. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Lambert stated that Commissioner Gerst asked that an item be added under Petitions regarding discussion to honor former Commission member Dick Brown. Motion: Moriarity moved, seconded by Napuck, to approve the agenda as amended. The motion carried, 8-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — SEPTEMBER 11, 2006 Motion: Mackay moved, Jacobus seconded, to approve the September 11, 2006, Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission minutes as published. The motion carried, 5-0- 3 with Barrett, Bierman and Elliot-Stoering abstaining because of absence from that meeting. IV. APPROVED MINUTES —August 7, 2006 V. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION—September 19, 2006 Lambert had nothing to report. Barrett commented on the new park signs and stated that they look great. Brill said he has heard many favorable comments regarding the new signs. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION October 2, 2006 Page 2 VI. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION—September 11 and September 25, 2006 No action taken related to park and recreation issues. VII. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION A. RECOGNITION OF FORMER COMMISSION MEMBER DICK BROWN Lambert said he had received an e-mail from Commissioner Gerst asking that the Commission consider recommending to the City Council that the City some how recognize Dick Brown for his years of service to the City. Gerst suggested that they consider declaring a Dick Brown day and give his widow a certificate or plaque. Mr. Brown was a key member of this Commission for a number of years and was a strong supporter and hard worker for many referendums. Jeff Strate, Eden Prairie resident stated that Dick was a real supporter of the parks. As a citizen, Strate urged the Commission to do something appropriate to recognize the work that Dick had done for the City. Barrett asked if anything has previously been done for a former Commission member. Lambert said he was only aware of one other Commission member who has passed away and that was Dick Anderson. Barrett said declaring a Dick Brown day would set a precedent. He pointed out that Mr. Brown's son did ask about people donating a tree in his honor. Barrett suggested that they ask the City Council to write a letter that could be read at Mr. Brown's funeral. Motion: Barrett moved, Mackay seconded, to recommend that the City Council write a letter of thanks to Dick Brown's widow on behalf of his service to the City and Parks Commission and have it signed in a timely manner for Mr. Brown's funeral. Brill said they may want to include something about a memorial tree. Lambert indicated that they do plant memorial trees all of the time and he suggested that they plant one for Mr. Brown. Amended Motion: Barrett amended his motion to include a recommendation to the Council that they plant a tree in Mr. Brown's honor and that be included in the letter. Mackay seconded the amendment. Vote was called on the amended motion with all members present voting aye. The motion carried, 8-0. VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. ELIZABETH FRIES ELLET INTERPRETIVE TRAIL SIGNAGE PROGRAM Lambert explained that Vicky Pellar-Price had agreed to develop an interpretive trail signage program to provide information to the residents of the community about flora and PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION October 2, 2006 Page 3 fauna as well as history in the Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area. She was undertaking this project at no cost to the City. Pellar-Price will present examples of two of the signs that are nearing completion for Commission review. City staff supports this signage program and requests that the Commission approve the signs with recommended changes. Pellar-Price reported that she started this project in 2003 and began fund raising in 2004. The Oak Savanna Sign is being funded by the Eden Prairie Foundation and the Settlers Ridge, Minnesota River, and Sedge Meadow signs are being funded by the Eden Prairie Lions Club. They need sponsorship for the remaining three signs. Pellar-Price presented a rendering of the Minnesota River Sign. She introduced Doug VanValkenberg from the design group that is working with her in designing the various signs. Their main intention for these signs is that they will serve the public in providing them with information about what is in the conservation area. The signs are developed so that they meld into the background and are not too institutional. The pictures on the sign are original photos that were taken over a two-year period of all of the different scenes at Richard T. Anderson. It also includes a map that tells you what distance it is from sign to sign. The middle section of the sign asks questions so it is interactive. Pellar-Price said they hope to develop something that is visible and attractive. She indicated that there will be a total of seven signs. In response to a question from Bierman, Pellar-Price responded that the signs will be standardized so that they match what already exists in the conservation area and that they are approximately 30' x 42' in size. Pellar-Price displayed the Oak Savanna Sign sponsored by the Eden Prairie Foundation. Napuck said the signs show that a great deal of time has been put into this project. She said she likes the format that is being used and every sign is consistent with different information and questions. Napuck said it is extremely important that if a web site is referred to on the signs it must be maintained and kept up to date. Mackay said he feels they have done a great job with the signs. He especially liked the "did you know" area but suggested that they consider a different title for that area. He is concerned that in five or ten years the web site referred to may not be in existence. Pellar-Price explained that they are a non-profit organization and if they should disband, the web site would be turned over to the City. The signs as well as the web site will be owned by the City. Lambert explained that some of the comments made in Stan Tekiela's memorandum included in the Commission's agenda material were editorial in nature while some of the other comments will be taken into consideration. For example, the pelican on the sign should be white, not brown. The official name of the pelican is the American White Pelican not the Great White Pelican and the Least Chipmunk should be replaced. Barrett suggested that more extensive information on the various species be included on the web site and not included on the sign. It appears that some of the information on the sign is not as key as some of the other information. Pellar-Price said they have included limited information because there is not sufficient room to include everything; however, they want PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION October 2, 2006 Page 4 to put something out there regarding the various species. They will look at highlighting one species and direct the reader to the web site for additional information. Mackay asked if it really was necessary to have all of the mosquitoes on the sign. Pellar- Price said this is something they could look at. Barrett said the simpler the sign the better. Elliott-Stoering said she thinks the layouts are beautiful and includes something for the kids and also some historical information for adults. She pointed out that the headline appears to get lost and questioned its color. Pellar-Price said that is something they have struggled with. They do not want to obscure the picture. It is very important that the picture be visible because it is a gorgeous picture. This is something they will continue to work on. Barrett pointed out that the specie names are on the top. He suggested that they place the names under the picture or closer to them. VanValkenberg said they had done this on an earlier version and it seemed like it was more readable when the names were across from the picture. Garton said the web site address only appears under the "Do you know" section and she suggested that it be included elsewhere on the sign. Pellar-Price said they are still discussing the use of the web site and once all of the signs are done they will revisit this again to make sure this is what they want. Bierman suggested that they consider some way to identify where the reader is on the sign. He suggested they place a "You Are Here" line on the map. Brill complimented Pellar-Price on the work they have done with these signs. He suggested that they do something to simplify the signs and take all of the suggestions made this evening into consideration. Once that is done, they should bring the signs back to this Commission for final review. Lambert pointed out that the purpose of this meeting was to get feedback on these signs from the Commission. He said what they have heard this evening is that simpler is better and that they need to clean up the sign and remove some things from it. The feedback received this evening has been extremely positive. He also pointed out that Pellar-Price has asked if the City would consider funding one of these signs. She suggested that the City consider sponsoring the Prairie sign. Pellar-Price explained that they will be making a presentation to the City Council on October 17 and at that time they will ask the Council to sponsor the Prairie sign. Elliott-Stoering asked what they are doing to make the public aware of this project and how they are soliciting sponsorship. Pellar-Price responded that they have been doing this for three years. One of the things they did was to prepare a brochure asking for the sponsorship. They have recently become a 5010 non-profit organization and hopefully that will encourage people to donate. It would be nice to have the City sponsor one of the signs and this may also encourage others to participate. Ultimately this is a City project. The cost to sponsor a sign is $2,000. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION October 2, 2006 Page 5 In response to a question from Bierman, Lambert explained that Pellar-Price is required to bring back each sign for review by this Commission and City staff. She will make the suggested changes and once those changes are made, the final sign will be approved by this Commission and staff. They must also understand that every change made does cost money and this is a piece of artwork that presents different opinions. Motion: Bierman moved, seconded by Barrett, to recommend approval of the Elizabeth Fries Ellet Interpretive Trail Signage program as recommended at the October 2 Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission for the two out of seven signs. The motion carried, 8-0. Motion: Bierman moved, seconded by Napuck, to recommend that the City Council consider paying for the Prairie sign, one of the three remaining signs, for an estimated cost of$2,000. Barrett pointed out that to do the remaining three signs would only cost$6,000. The City spends more than that on other signs and he suggested they recommend that the City pay for all three signs so that this project can be completed all at one time. Barrett asked that the motion be amended to ask the City Council to consider contributing to one or more of the three remaining signs including the Prairie sign for an estimated cost of$2,000 each. Jacobus said he has some concerns with asking the City to pay for the three remaining signs. He asked what would happen if the Memorial Park group comes in and says they can't raise the funds for their project. The Council supported this project but with the premise that they were going to raise the funds to do it. Jacobus said he supports the interpretative signs but questioned whether or not they would be setting a precedent by paying for the remaining signs. Lambert explained that the City does have a lot of different groups that come in and ask for funding or some portion of funding while they raise funds. Lambert said they do have to be concerned about setting a precedent. Brill mentioned that on December 16, 2003, the City Council approved this proposal at no cost to the City. He suggested that they wait on making this recommendation since they have now become a 5010 and this is an added advantage. Jeff Strate, Eden Prairie resident, said he is a Board member of a 5010 organization and that he agrees with Brill. He said that since they have now been designated as a non-profit organization and because they are so close to a definite design,he is confident they will be able to raise the additional funds from the private sector without any City input. This project will get people involved and will get neighborhoods involved. Mackay said he also agrees with Brill. He suggested that a flyer be sent out asking for donations. Pellar-Price stated that this project has not had visibility and people are asking why the City does not pay for some of this project. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION October 2, 2006 Page 6 Amended Motion: Bierman amended his motion, Napuck seconded the amended motion, to ask the City Council to consider contributing to one or more of the signs,preferably the Prairie sign, for a cost of$2,000 per sign. Vote was called on the amended motion. The motion failed, 3-5, with Brill, Napuck,Jacobus, Mackay and Moriarity voting nay. Brill said he is not opposed to the program but wants to wait and see what happens with the funding. He is excited about the program and hopes they receive sufficient funding to complete it. Motion: Motion was made by Napuck, seconded by Mackay, to recommend that the City Council publicly support the Elizabeth Fries Ellet Interpretive Trail Signage Program and to consider contributing an estimated $2,000 for the Prairie sign if private funding efforts do not cover the cost. Moriarity said he feels the 5010 designation will give them some added endorsement in obtaining the necessary donations. Pellar-Price said the problem is they have not received visible tangible support from the City. The City is contributing money for purchasing Birch Island Woods and she questioned why this project should not receive the same kind of support. She feels this project has suffered from the lack of visible, tangible support from the City Council. Napuck questioned what Pellar-Price means by visible, tangible support. Pellar-Price responded that it could be done in many different ways. One of the things that certainly is more tangible is if the City included these events in their brochures and also if they supported the trails. This project has lacked City support. Napuck asked if it would be helpful if the City publicly supported this project. Vote was called on the motion with all members present voting aye except Barrett, Brill, Jacobus and Moriarity. The motion failed, 4-4. B. PROPOSED NAME CHANGE FOR THE PURGATORY CREEK RECREATION AREA Lambert explained that the Commission had recommended to the City Council a name change for Purgatory Creek Recreation Area to Memorial Park. The City Council had received an e-mail from Eden Prairie resident Jeff Strate asking that they slow this process down because Memorial Park is located at the entry to the park and is only a small part of a major complex that is Purgatory Creek Recreation Area. A major feature of that area is a 170 acre wetland complex. Lambert presented a brief background as to why this park was called the Purgatory Creek Recreation Area. This area has not been a recreation area since its final design. It is a conservation area and the name Purgatory Creek Recreation Area is no longer appropriate. Lambert further explained that at their September 19 meeting, the City Council referred this item back to this Commission for further discussion and also recommended that the Heritage Preservation Commission review this site from a historical perspective and consider possible names for this large, wetland complex as well as this conservation area. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION October 2, 2006 Page 7 Napuck suggested they wait until they receive information back from the Heritage Preservation Commission as to what might be an appropriate name. Bierman said he felt the information included in the Commission's agenda material from Strate was very informative. He pointed out that there are three things about this park that stand out for him: 1) the prairie reflects the community and surrounding environment; 2) preserve work has been done in terms of rehabilitation and has been outstanding, and 3) the park does have a connotation of recreation,relaxation and enjoyment. Bierman said these three ideas present a combination of names that could be used. They include Prairie Park Preserve or Prairie Reserve Park. This name captures where they have been and where they are going. He also suggested Prairie Lake Park which would be very appropriate. Mackay said he feels it is appropriate to separate the park from the preserve since the wetland appears to be a separate area. Brill suggested they consider naming it Prairie Lake Park or Prairie Lake Conservation Area. Jacobus said he would prefer that they not give the area two different names. He suggested they have one name for the entire complex. Jeff Strate, Eden Prairie resident, suggested that they think about a name for the long-term. That area of Eden Prairie will be different and this area may be the central park for the City. Memorial Park does not describe this wonderful area as it is today and as to what it will be in the future. They could call the entrance Memorial Plaza or Memorial Way. Brill suggested that they table this item for a month to give them an opportunity to think about names and to also receive input from the Heritage Preservation Commission. C. DISCUSSION REGARDING PRIVATE ENCROACHMENT OF PUBLIC PROPERTY Lambert explained that the City Council requested the Parks Commission to consider whether or not the City should change the ordinance that prohibits private use of public property. Several residents spoke to the City Council about a letter they received from City staff notifying them that they were encroaching on City conservation land. Their request was that the City allow them to continue mowing that property rather than "letting the property grow up to weeds". Lambert stated that staff feels that insidious creep into City park land causes the danger of losing that land and the City should not be giving it away. There are so many issues when you start playing with property lines. There have been instances where homeowners have put recreational pieces of equipment on City property. The City is responsible should someone get hurt on that property. Brill said he is sure there are numerous violations out there. The big question is what is the City prepared to do. How do they enforce this? Elliott-Stoering said they need to be consistent and not allow the encroachment at one location but allow it at another. They should not micro manage. If there is a specific rule it should be consistently carried out. She asked if they are talking about a specific area or about encroachment as a whole. Lambert responded that the City's ordinance now requires stop mowing. The City Council has asked that this Commission look at the ordinance to determine whether or not it should PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION October 2, 2006 Page 8 be changed to allow mowing on some park land. Lambert said staff is recommending that the Commission send a message back to the City Council stating that they do not support any encroachment on public property. It would be difficult to write an ordinance that would be fair to everyone. Lambert suggested that the Commission also recommend that the City hire someone to walk the park boundaries every four years and mark them. They have to start to enforce this ordinance and not wait until the encroachment is brought to the City's attention. Lambert said they have to do a better job of educating the public about encroaching on City property. In response to a question from Moriarity, Lambert explained that as the ordinance is currently written, vegetation cannot be removed from the park property. The resident is notified that they must cease and desist and remove any personal property and restore the site to its original condition. Bierman asked if the property in question is a trail and if the public has access to it. He suggested that if the City does not need the property they consider putting a price on it and sell it to the adjoining property owners. This would be a way to generate some revenue to purchase other land people would be able to use and to make that land more productive. This could be done on a case-by-case basis. Fox explained that this easement is a buffer along the lake and to preserve that corridor. They have since turned that easement into lawns and that is against what was intended. This property does have public value but the public value has gone away because it has been turned into lawns. Lambert pointed out that the buffer was intended to keep the lawns that have fertilizer away from the lake. Motion: Motion was made by Napuck, seconded by Brill, to recommend that the City Council revise the ordinance that prohibits use of public property to uniformly prohibit any encroachment on public land and implement an encroachment policy clearly defining the process of removing the encroachment and remedies that will apply in the event the encroachment is not removed. Lambert explained that there is an existing ordinance that allows the City to address the encroachment issue right now. They don't need a motion to change that ordinance. He suggested that the Commission recommend to the City Council that they simply change the existing policy of not aggressively administering the protection of City property lines and that they institute a compliance program that would require an inspection of boundary lines each year. Napuck withdrew her motion with Brill withdrawing his second. Motion: Motion was made by Napuck, seconded by Elliott-S toering, to recommend to the City Council that they actively investigate and enforce encroachment violations. Mackay suggested that they recommend that the boundary lines be reviewed every four years and that the City Council approve funding for this endeavor. Moriarity said it would be good to send a policy recommendation to the City Council and to reaffirm a zero tolerance policy on encroachment. Furthermore, the City Council should institute a public PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION October 2, 2006 Page 9 education and compliance program to ensure that there are no future encroachments and to fund this program. There should be no exceptions to the code and/or policy. Amended Motion: Napuck amended her motion to recommend that the City Council should not revise the ordinance that prohibits private use of public property and to recommend that the City Council institute an encroachment compliance policy that actively investigates and enforces encroachment violations. Elliott-Stoering seconded the amended motion. Vote was called on the amended motion with all members present voting aye. The amended motion carried, 8-0. Motion: Motion was made by Napuck, seconded by Moriarity, to recommend that the City Council fund a seasonal staff position to assist the Forestry Division in inspecting 25 percent of park and conservation boundaries each year. The motion carried, 8-0. IX. NEW BUSINESS A. PROPOSED EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT FOR COMPANIES DONATING TO THE COMMUNITY CENTER IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AND/OR THE THIRD RINK PROJECT Lambert reported that staff has been looking at the fund raising efforts for the third ice rink. Some companies are asking what incentive there would be for them to contribute to this project. Although the City has not determined what Community Center memberships and daily use fees will be once the facility is upgraded, City staff is recommending that the City provide some type of incentive to contributors through the Community Center memberships. These incentives would help those people trying to raise funds for the third ice rink. In response to a question from Bierman, Lambert explained that this proposal allows non Eden Prairie resident employees to purchase membership at Eden Prairie rates and the 25 percent discount would be for the first full year of operation after the Community Center improvements are completed. Elliot-Stoering said the advantage would be that you would have people joining the Community Center who would normally not do so. Napuck asked how you would monitor employees that leave a company. Lambert said they would have to do an audit at the end of the year. Mackay said if 1,000 people from a company join the Community Center, there may be a problem for those Eden Prairie residents that want to use the facility. Lambert said they see the biggest issue as being able to generate a sufficient number of memberships. Motion: Motion was made by Brill, seconded by Barrett, to recommend the City Council approve a 25 percent discount on annual residential memberships for all employees of companies that donate $50,000 or more to the Eden Prairie Community Center improvement project and/or the third rink project for the first full year of operation after the Community Center improvements are completed; and to provide those same companies with a complimentary Corporate Membership for the life of the naming rights. A Corporate Membership would allow all of that company's employees to be charged the same rate as PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION October 2, 2006 Page 10 Eden Prairie residents for daily use fee of the facility or for membership fees; furthermore, that any company purchasing naming rights with a donation of$10,000 or more would also get Corporate Membership rates for the life of their naming rights. The motion carried, 8-0. X. REPORTS OF STAFF A. DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION SERVICES B. MANAGER OF RECREATION SERVICES 1. Service Area Report— Sandy Werts—Arts & Special Events Moriarity suggested that these service area reports be moved to the beginning of the meeting so that staff would not have to wait until the end of the meeting to make their presentation. Werts presented an overview of the City's Arts and Special Events. C. MANAGER OF PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES IX. NEXT MEETING The next meeting of the Commission is scheduled for Monday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m. X. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Jacobus moved, Barrett seconded, to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 8-0. The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 p.m.