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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 01/03/2005 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY,JANUARY 3, 2005 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Rob Barrett, Tom Bierman, John Brill, Tom Crain, Jeffrey Gerst, Cari Grayson (arrived at 7:03 p.m.), Randy Jacobus, Ian Mackay and Michael Moriarity COMMISSION STAFF PRESENT: Bob Lambert, Director of Parks and Recreation Services; Stu Fox, Manager of Natural Resources; Laurie Obiazor, Manager of Recreation Services; Lyndell Frey, Community Center Manager; and Carol Pelzel, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Cole Johnson, Apoorva Shah and Roby Shrestha I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Chair Barrett at 7:00 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion: Gerst moved, seconded by Jacobus, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion carried, 8-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —December 6, 2004 Gerst pointed out that his name was misspelled on the last page of the minutes under IX. ADJOURNMENT. Motion: Motion was made by Gerst, seconded by Grayson, to approve the minutes as corrected. The motion carried, 7-0-2 with Mackay and Moriarity abstaining because of absence from that meeting. IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION—December 7 and December 21, 2004 Lambert reported that at their December 7 meeting, the Council authorized the removal of the requirement for RealLife to provide access from their development to the trail around Smetana Lake. Lambert explained that at the December 21 Council meeting, the Council approved establishing a Cemetery Task Force to make recommendations on improvements to the cemetery. The Task Force will be reviewing fees, an operation policy and restrictions to see if the City is current with what is going on at other government owned cemeteries. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION January 3, 2005 Page 2 Barrett asked if City staff has been able to walk the various ski trails with Mr. Boonstra, the coach of the cross-country ski team at the High School. Lambert said they have been unable to contact Mr. Boonstra. Barrett explained that a letter was sent to Boonstra asking him to only groom the trails that have been authorized. Lambert said once they have walked the trails, they would provide feedback to this Commission. V. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION A. REQUEST FROM EDEN PRAIRIE BASEBALL ASSOCIATION Lambert reported that the Baseball Association proposes to donate $250,000 toward a stadium at Miller Park that was included in the City's referendum and did not pass. The Association is concerned that a$100,000 individual donation may not be available at a future date. The proposed project would have to be a phased project and the stadium would be in the first phase with additional improvements in future phases. Lambert explained that City staff does support this proposal and is recommending that they proceed with the development of plans and specifications contingent upon the donation from the Baseball Association. This is a project that has always been a vision for Miller Park and the Baseball Association is offering a significant contribution to this facility. Tom Siering, 18887 Magenta Bay, explained that he is the President of the Baseball Association and thanked this Commission and City staff for working with them on this project. The Baseball Association has been considering the Eagle Field project for approximately ten years and they feel this would be the crown jewel of Miller Park. Siering explained that the Association has raised $150,000 for this project and they have one donor who is willing to contribute an additional $100,000 for a total of$250,000. Over the years, the Association has constructed a building at Miller Park and they have made various field improvements throughout the City. Siering said this organization tries to be unique when asking for things in trying to seek solutions on how to pay for their requests. He explained that the Association has done everything they can to raise money for this project and it will be a tremendous asset to not only the Baseball Association but to other adult teams, town teams and senior teams and would be a great addition to the Miller Park complex and to the City itself. Moriarity asked if it would not make more sense to omit one of the wings and have fewer seats and to build the dugouts in the first phase. Siering responded that the Baseball Association will be working with the City in developing this project and they are relying on the City and the architects to build a facility that would be easy to add onto in the future. Lambert explained that they would include deduct alternates in the specifications and staff feels that it is important that they do the structure itself first rather than develop it wing by wing. Grayson asked how they arrived at the numbers for attendance. Siering explained that this facility does not currently attract exciting baseball events. If the proposed facility is built, it will attract events that could draw 1,000 people. Crain asked if the facility would be locked when not in use or if it can be used during non-game time. Lambert explained that this PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION January 3, 2005 Page 3 proposal would not change the use of the existing baseball field. The field will be as accessible as it currently is. Bierman expressed his appreciation to the Association for all of the hard work they put into this proposal. He questioned how priority use for this facility would be established. Siering said use of the facilities is very tight and hopefully this is something they will be able to work around. The Association has a full-time scheduler and that person has done a good job in working with the City. In response to a question from Barrett, Siering explained that the type of games played at this facility will not change, however, there will be additional things taking place. This will enable them to attract high school and legion state tournaments that will result in additional draw. Day-to-day usage will be the same. Brill asked if the High School currently uses this facility. Siering answered that the High School has indicated an interest in using this field. Barrett suggested that they contact the School to see if they would be interested in funding part of this project. Lambert explained that the School District is struggling to fund what they have now. This is not a substitute for the High School field. The High School still uses their field and they may only want to use this facility for tournaments. They do use fields at Miller Park and at the Community Center and their home team field is the high school field. If this changes, there would not be a big impact on the use of this field due to their short season. Grayson questioned if there would be sufficient parking for the increased seating. Lambert said he does not foresee parking as a problem because they have the capacity at Miller Park for 900 cars. Bierman said that$600,000 of this project would come from the Park Fund. He asked what percentage of park funds this expenditure would represent. Lambert responded that the Park Fund has a balance of over$5 million. Barrett asked how this project differs from what was originally proposed on the City's referendum. Lambert said this proposal is to be done in phases rather than doing the entire thing at one time. Barrett said the people voted this down and yet the City keeps asking for things that were rejected. If they do this project,he asked what the point was of having it on the referendum. Lambert explained that the referendum included projects that counted on $4.5 million to $5 million from the park fund. To now say that the City is not going to spend money on those projects is not a clear understanding of what funding was for those projects. Barrett said that as he understands it, they currently have a 90-foot field and this proposal only makes it nicer and is not adding any additional usefulness to the fields for this additional money. Lambert said it is his opinion that if you are going to build a park system that people are going to appreciate and enjoy and think is special, there are times the City has to decide on constructing some facilities that may be considered special. When the Council decided to have Miller Park as an athletic field complex located in the community, the park was envisioned as what is being proposed. They are trying to build these facilities one at a time. The City may take some criticism for moving forward with this project but once it is completed residents will appreciate what a great asset it will be to the City. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION January 3, 2005 Page 4 Jacobus pointed out that this project has always been in the long-range plan. He questioned if they would be doing a disservice to the residents of Eden Prairie if they did not take advantage of the opportunity for this additional $250,000 of funding. Siering said one of the things they are trying to accomplish is to be a model for other associations in making contributions to projects. If other associations prioritize what it is they want, this project would send a powerful message. Siering pointed out that there were a lot of other things that were attached to the referendum that made it difficult to single out this proposed facility. He said he does not feel this proposal is outrageous or over the top but puts them up to some of the other communities with similar facilities. Brill said he feels this project is an investment for the City and is something that will provide years of service and recreation. Throughout the years one constant has been baseball and he would support this proposal. Mackay indicated that this project would provide the community with a gathering place. Such places have been on the decline nationally for the last 20 years and this type of facility will help bring some of that together again. The timing might not be perfect because of the recently defeated referendum but it will be more expensive in the future and the funding from the Baseball Association may not be available at a later date. Mackay said he feels that something that brings people together is something the City should invest in. Barrett explained that he is not against this proposal,however,he thought it would be considered when they decide to do another referendum. Gerst said he is in favor of this project but is not sure how they can make it work and is not sure what other projects will not move forward because of it. Motion: Jacobus moved, Brill seconded, to recommend authorization to prepare plans and specifications and take bids for construction of a grandstand that would include restrooms, concessions, storage facility, covered seating and an enclosed announcer's booth for the baseball field at Miller Park. Moriarity asked that the motion be amended to place a cap on the project. He asked why they needed 600 seats instead of 300 seats. Lambert said when they accept bids for a project they normally put a not to exceed amount on it and also include deduct alternates. The reason for the revised plan in seating is because after the referendum they looked at scaling down the project. If they make it any smaller Staff would not recommend moving forward with the project. Moriarity said he would withdraw his suggested amendment and that they should wait to see what the bids come in at. Vote was called on the motion. The motion carried, 8-0-1 with Barrett abstaining. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION January 3, 2005 Page 5 B. REQUEST FROM PRESIDENT OF THE EDEN PRAIRIE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION Lambert presented a brief background of a request by the Eden Prairie Hockey Association to have two outdoor refrigerated hockey rinks incorporated with an outdoor recreation area that may include a large outdoor free skating rink with music, a concession stand and an outdoor plaza. The Hockey Association has raised some funds for a third sheet of ice and realizes that the largest cost is to build a building. They are, therefore, suggesting that the City consider outdoor refrigerated rinks. Lambert said the Association has met with City staff. He indicated that there are a couple of places they could look at constructing something like this including Round Lake or Starring Lake. Staff is recommending that they spend some money to see if this is at all feasible. They would then come back to this Commission with a report on the revenues that could be generated, the cost of operation, etc. to determine whether or not this is a feasible project. Mike Rush, 16097 Hanover Lane, explained that this proposal would give them the opportunity of going outdoors. If they build a building with two sheets of ice that's all they get. By going outdoors they will be able to create something bigger and a place of gathering. This will allow people to embrace the winter and would assist the Hockey Association in gaining additional ice time. Jacobus said he thinks this is a good idea. He asked in terms of financing, if the Hockey Association is prepared to spend the necessary funds. Rush responded that the Association does have $247,000 from previous fund raising. Before they can spend these funds they need to have some basic idea of what they are going to build and where. And if necessary, they can do additional fund raising. The $247,000 is available and could be put into this project. Bierman asked what would happen to the land during the summer months since they will be installing refrigeration. Rush answered that the refrigeration coils could be in concrete and would only leave a slab of concrete that could be used during summer months. Bierman questioned how the Hockey Association would establish priority use and when they use the facility and when it would be available for public use. Rush explained that this would be something they would have to discuss with City staff. There are two sheets of ice at Round Lake now that are used by the Association and public and there appears to be adequate usage for the public. In this case, the Hockey Association is talking about making an investment and they would expect to have first priority in exchange for that. Bierman asked if Staring Lake were selected as the site for this proposal, would concrete replace a ballfield. Lambert explained that one of the questions they would ask in a feasibility study is the use of that site for the rest of the year. He said he is not convinced that the rink would be concrete. They need to look at the various options at each site. Barrett asked if this proposal would remove the need for a third sheet of ice. Rush answered that it would. Jacobus said he hoped they would put a roof over the rink. Motion: Moriarity moved, seconded by Grayson, to recommend that the City Council authorize staff to contract for planning services to provide concept plans for developing a PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION January 3, 2005 Page 6 winter recreation area in a community park that would include refrigerated outdoor ice and serve other winter outdoor recreation activities. Bierman asked if they should put a $20,000 cap on this. Lambert said they would get quotes from two or three companies and bring the proposals back to this Commission. Vote was called on the motion with all members voting aye. The motion carried, 9-0. C. CARI GRAYSON RESIGNATION Lambert explained that with Grayson's resignation from the Commission they need to appoint a new member to the Sports Facilities Commission. On behalf of the Commission, Barrett expressed his appreciation to Grayson for her service to the City. Motion: Gerst moved, seconded by Grayson, and all voting aye, to appoint Ian Mackay to replace Cari Grayson to serve on the Sports Facilities Committee that will hold its first meeting on January 10. The motion carried, 9-0. VI. OLD BUSINESS VII. NEW BUSINESS A. LIGHTING OF ROUND LAKE SOFTBALL FIELD #4 Frey reviewed with the Commission the need for athletic field lighting at Round Lake Softball Field#4. The number of teams that want to play in the City's adult softball leagues surpasses the number of available fields. The lighting of an additional field at Round Lake is also important should either of the two softball fields north of Valley View Road need to be removed due to any Community Center facility or parking area expansion. The league fee that adult teams pay cover administrative costs, umpires, and a portion of the fees collected are set aside for field maintenance. There would be no tax dollars used for this construction project. Lambert explained that the City did notify the neighbors within 1,000 feet of that field about this evening's meeting and they did not hear from any of those neighbors. Mackay asked if there would be concerns with having lights so close to the road. Fox explained that the lights are oriented more south and they do not foresee a glare problem affecting motorists. The lights will be cast down. Motion: Grayson moved, Jacobus seconded, and all voting aye, to authorize staff to prepare plans and specifications of the lighting of Softball Field#4 at Round Lake Park. The motion carried, 9-0. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION January 3, 2005 Page 7 B. FARMER'S MARKET PROPOSAL FOR PCRA Lambert reported that the City had received a proposal from Patti Lloyd and Vickie VanDriessche to operate a Farmer's Market at the Purgatory Creek Recreation Area from May to October, 2005. Their request is for operating on Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The only issues City staff has with this proposal relate to concerns about parking on Thursdays. One option would be to move the operating time on Thursdays to a later time. Additional parking would become available at the end of the day. There is some parking available at the Flagship Corporate building but that parking may go away once that facility is totally leased. Lambert said staff does feel this is a good use for this park. This is something they feel will create a lot of community interest and is something they envisioned taking place at this park. Patti Lloyd, 16721 Camborne Place, explained that they are proposing something more than just a Farmer's Market. It will be a community event and a great recreational experience. She further explained that they have spent six or seven months researching this proposal. This is a great opportunity to have one destination for residents. Lloyd said they are planning to have events sponsored by businesses on Thursdays to get their employees involved. Vickie VanDriessche, 8244 View Lane, said Eden Prairie is a City that seems to be looking for a soul mate to create a community center and this is another option to do that. Gerst asked if they know what their supply would be and if it would be coming from farmers. Lloyd responded that they did attend a Farmer's Market Seminar offered by the State that includes both growers and marketers and at that time they did have people say they want to be part of Eden Prairie. This location would offer them a huge opportunity with 1,500 people getting off at the bus station. This is one reason it is desirable to operate on Thursdays to include the people using the transit station. Lloyd further explained that in order to be a participant you would have to be a Minnesota farmer and their product has to be Minnesota grown. VanDriessche said that the artists allowed to sell at the market have to create what they are selling. Lloyd indicated that a Board would oversee this Farmer's Market. In response to a question from Grayson, Lloyd explained that they would try to build their market around a core group of growers starting in July. They have to commit to the entire season and to pay for that time. Jacobus asked who would profit from this market. Lambert responded that the City would lease the property to them and enter into a contract addressing any concerns the City might have including clean-up, set up, etc. They in turn will charge the vendors for booths. Jacobus asked what would happen if someone became ill because of eating something they purchased at the market. Lloyd answered that they will have insurance. Moriarity said he has some concerns in that this is the first summer that this area will be up and running and now they are proposing to give away the parking for those people that PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION January 3, 2005 Page 8 want to come and use the park and can't. Lambert said he did not feel that parking would be an issue on a Saturday. He said that this is something they want to see at this particular park. It is an event that will attract people to the park. Grayson said she thinks this is a good idea to have something like this at this location and it may also benefit local businesses in the area by drawing people to the area. Lloyd stated that this event would give these people the opportunity to do other shopping in the area and to visit other local retailers. This will also draw people from surrounding communities. Bierman indicated that they have talked about this market's popularity. He questioned if they are allowing for growth potential. Lloyd explained that they do not want a big market because the larger markets become unmanageable. It is their intent to offer enough of a variety to keep everyone happy. Bierman said with the issues of parking and concerns from surrounding merchants, he asked if they have looked at any other areas in the City to locate this market. Lloyd said they have not. This site is where they want to be because of the traffic. Barrett asked if it would be worth doing if they were not allowed to operate on Thursdays. Lloyd said it would create some problems but they would be willing to compromise. She suggested that they not operate on Thursdays through May and June and then start operating on Thursdays beginning in July. Dale Bachman, 7070 Prairie Center Drive, said he was speaking on behalf of the Bachman's store. He explained that when they developed their store they had to comply with the City Council's wishes to screen their outdoor sales area with landscaping and fencing and their developer's agreement required that they not sell outside the screened and bounded area. Bachman said when they developed they felt the City's policy would be administered evenly throughout the City. They are somewhat of a seasonal business but did commit to being there year round. He indicated that it seemed inconsistent to allow this outdoor sale of produce since they were limited in their selling. Bachman indicated that the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce has just begun their due diligence on this issue and they will be discussing it at their Board meeting on January 13. At this time the Chamber has not taken a position on this item. Brill asked how Bachman's Saturday business would be affected during the spring and summer. Bachman responded that weekends are their heaviest times. Parking does become an issue in the spring for them and they had to build to City requirements. They do sell similar products that the Farmer's market will be selling including annuals, hanging baskets, cut flowers, etc. Bierman pointed out that this particular farmer's market would draw people to the area that might not normally shop at the Bachman store. Bachman said his concern is the City's application of policy and another concern of theirs is traffic. They are in a competitive market place. By allowing this use in the City Center area, a number of businesses will be impacted. Bierman asked how the parking issue has been addressed. Lambert explained that the applicant has to talk to the Flagship Office representatives regarding shared PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION January 3, 2005 Page 9 parking. Lambert said staff is suggesting that rather than waiting until July to operate the market on Thursdays, they would recommend that they delay opening the market until 5 p.m. on Thursdays when the office parking lot is clearing out. This would solve the City's concern for parking. With regard to Mr. Bachman's concerns about the City being consistent with policy, this is an issue that has to be addressed by the City Council. Lambert explained that this Commission makes recommendations on parks and it is their responsibility to listen to all sides of the issue and to make a recommendation to the City Council that they feel is fair. Bierman asked if Bachman's were offered the opportunity to sell at the farmer's market. Lloyd answered that they have extended an invitation to them to participate in the market and they have also offered cross promotion. Bachman said they did discuss this but found in Minneapolis that it was not productive and workable to staff the store and the market at another location. They do not care to operate at two locations. Barrett said he would prefer not doing Thursdays to start with. He is in favor of limiting it to Saturdays. Barrett said he feels this is a good use of the park and he hopes that the City Council will address the issues raised by Mr. Bachman. Bachman said he is not asking the City to change its policy with respect to Bachman's. He said they are willing to comply with what the City has required of them. Jacobus said it does not seem appropriate that the City would compete with private businesses. Jacobus said he would support the sale of produce that does not directly compete with something across the street. Barrett pointed out that the City currently competes with the Flagship Athletic Club by having a swimming pool. Barrett said there needs to be some balance. Moriarity pointed out that this park is a gathering place and he would like to see it develop naturally and suggested that they wait to see what type of traffic is generated this first summer. He recognizes that this is a good location for a farmer's market, however, Bachman's spent money to purchase the land and to develop it. It seems unfair that the City is allowing this to happen. Mackay said it is clear that Eden Prairie residents enjoy the Bachman store. He said he believes that this market will be another piece of business in Eden Prairie and whether it is Bachman's or Cub Foods there are competing businesses in the area. The City Council will need to address whether or not this is unfair to other businesses but that should not restrain others from having businesses in the City. Bierman said he is concerned about the precedent they will be setting by this policy and obviously allowing for-profit organizations to come and use City property with little oversight. Barrett pointed out that this is not the first farmer's market in the Twin Cities. They have been running in a variety of ways in various locations. Barrett said he does frequent the PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION January 3, 2005 Page 10 downtown farmer's market and he does not feel it affects his shopping at the Bachman's store. Gerst said the plan has always been to have something like a farmer's market in this area. If they don't like the way it is run this year, the City can run it next year. They are not giving it to them indefinitely and it will have to be run efficiently. Crain said he does not think a farmer's market in the town center is all that revolutionary. He suggested that they contact other cities to see how it has impacted them. Motion: Motion was made by Barrett, seconded by Gerst, to approve the proposal for a Farmer's Market at the Purgatory Creek Recreation Area from May 14 until October 29, 2005; limiting the market to Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Moriarity said he thought it would be a good idea to allow the market to operate later on Thursdays i.e.from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Crain said by having the market on Thursdays they would be looking at other demographics. Half of the community is workers and coming into the bus station. Barrett said the Thursday market would impact that particular intersection too much. Right now there seems to be traffic congestion at that location. Mackay said he would like to see the applicant meet with Bachman to see if they can come to a consensus. Vote was called on the motion with Barrett, Gerst, Brill, Crain, Jacobus, Mackay and Moriarity voting aye; Bierman voting nay and Grayson abstaining. The motion carried, 7-1-1. C. PARK LAND ACQUISITION NEEDS Lambert explained that the City Council directed City staff and this Commission to start discussing park land needs for a future park referendum. Lambert said staff did put together a list of the land that the City needs to acquire and some that they should be able to acquire from the State. Some of the land may also be obtained from easements at no cost to the City. Lambert reviewed with the Commission the list of proposed land acquisition needs. Lambert indicated that the appraisal amount on the Shuldheiss property is $360,000. Originally, the family was requesting considerably more than that amount. However, they are now considering lowering their price. Bierman said the City has been talking about obtaining this property for some time. He suggested that they look at purchasing the 91 feet of lakeshore now. Moriarity suggested that they move it up to priority 1. Motion: Motion was made by Bierman, seconded by Mackay, to recommend that City staff investigate the purchase of the Shuldheiss Family property of 91 feet of lake shore and the PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION January 3, 2005 Page 11 small home at Riley Lake and in addition, evaluate the property next door and report back to this Commission within the next 60 days. The motion carried, 9-0. Lambert said one other piece of property they need to consider and is not on the list is the Lake Idlewild park property owned by Rosemount Company. He said the City should be thinking about acquiring that park or portion of it to complete the trail system around Lake Idlewild. This land will be critical to the people that live in that area and for the people who are using the restaurants and office buildings in that area. Motion: Motion was made by Brill, seconded by Crain and all voting aye, to approve the list of land acquisition needs and priorities and to authorize staff to review acquisition of park property adjacent to Lake Idlewild. Bierman suggested that the January 3, 2005, date be added to the Park Land Acquisition Needs listing. The motion carried, 9-0. D. UPDATE OF CIP Lambert explained that each year City staff proposes revisions to the estimated revenue and expenditures in the park fund in order to assist the Commission and Council in determining priorities for fund expenditures and estimated revenue and expenditures over the next five years. Lambert further explained that revisions to the park fund include moving the expenditures for the baseball stadium up from 2008 to 2005 and increasing the total estimated cost of that facility from$600,000 to $850,000 and revenue from the Baseball Association for$150,000 to $250,000. Other adjustments have been made based on decisions made by the Commission and Council during the year relating to planning for trail projects, off-leash dog exercise areas, etc. Lambert reminded the Commission that each project would come back before this Commission for approval as they proceed. Motion: Motion was made by Crain, seconded by Grayson, to approve the revisions to the Park Fund Capital Improvement Program as proposed in the January 3, 2005 staff report. Barrett said he could not vote in favor of this motion because he does not feel that the baseball stadium should be done at this time. Vote was called on the motion with all voting aye except Barrett who abstained. The motion carried, 8-0-1. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION January 3, 2005 Page 12 VIII. REPORTS OF STAFF A. DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATIONS SERVICES 1. Sports Facilities Committee Issues—Informational Compliance Lambert asked the Commission to review the problem City staff has had in obtaining the information from the youth athletic associations required by the City Policy and to determine if they should continue to require the information and what the penalty should be for any organization that fails to comply. He said they either have to eliminate the requirements or find a way to enforce them. Moriarity questioned the requirement that organizations are to have molestation and abuse liability insurance. He said they do background checks. Lambert said this was discussed at a recent Commission meeting and it was agreed that this requirement made sense. This has become a major concern, however, if they are doing background checks they may not need the insurance. Moriarity suggested that they have a risk prevention policy. Barrett said the liability insurance is a good idea but he did not think it should be required. Jacobus said he feels it should be left up to the Association and that it should not be required. Lambert said when it is a City program they have no choice but to have the insurance. When the City is allowing athletic associations to use City facilities, the City is in effect semi tied to their programs and by that the City has the right to make some requirements. Lambert said they may not have to require insurance or background checks but he thinks it is a good idea to discuss this with the associations. Lambert said they could remove requirement Number 9 from the policy. Bierman said he feels they need some recommendation that the associations should have some training and do background checks. Gerst suggested that they take off the insurance requirement from the required list and add it to the recommended list. Brill said he would agree as long as the City does not feel it is at risk. Lambert said staff would remove Number 9 as a requirement and make it a recommendation. Barrett asked how all of the coaches could possibly be trained. Lambert responded that the City does offer a training program for all of the coaches. Barrett asked if this is something that can be enforceable. Jacobus said he feels it is not practical to require that the coaches be licensed when they are dealing with approximately 300 coaches. He said he does not think the City should be telling the associations what to do. They have similar thoughts and they want to make sure they have the best coaches. Gerst suggested that they leave Number 6 of the policy as a requirement and leave it up to the associations as to what type of training the coaches receive. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION January 3, 2005 Page 13 2. Selection of Consultant for Trail Planning Lambert explained that staff is recommending Brauer& Associates as the consultant for the planning process for trails within the Purgatory Creek Valley, Riley Creek Valley and within the Edenbrook Conservation Area. This project is in the CIP and the costs are not to exceed costs. Motion: Gerst moved, seconded by Mackay, and all voting aye, to approve the appointment of Brauer & Associates as the planning consultant to complete the planning process for trails within the Purgatory Creek Valley, Riley Creek Valley and within the Edenbrook Conservation Area as per their proposal dated November 30, 2004. The motion carried, 9-0. B. MANAGER OF RECREATION SERVICES 1. 2005 Breaking Barriers Award On behalf of the Commission, Barrett congratulated Beth DeGree, Recreation Coordinator and Nicole Weedman, Recreation Coordinator for being recipients of the 2005 Breaking Barriers Award at Minnesota's National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration. This award was given to them for their work in establishing the Girls on the Run program in Eden Prairie this fall. C. MANAGER OF PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES IX. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Gerst moved, Jacobus seconded, to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 9-0. The meeting was adjourned at 11:10 p.m.