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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 11/21/2005 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2005 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Jeffrey Gerst, Vice Chair; Tom Bierman, John Brill, Ian Mackay, Michael Moriarity, Geri Napuck COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Rob Barrett, Chair; Tom Crain, Randy Jacobus COMMISSION STAFF PRESENT: Bob Lambert, Parks & Recreation Director Stuart Fox, Parks and Natural Resources Manager Nicole Weedman, Recreation Coordinator COMMISSION STAFF ABSENT: Laurie Obiazor, Recreation Manager STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT: Danny Crichton, Graham Kist STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES ABSENT: Ali Neugebauer RECORDING SECRETARY: Allison Burr I. ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Vice Chair Gerst at 7:02 p.m. Bob Barrett, Tom Crain, and Randy Jacobus were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Mackay moved, seconded by Napuck, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 6-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — OCTOBER 3, 2005 MOTION: Brill moved, seconded by Moriarity, to approve the minutes as published. Motion carried 3-0-3. IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION OF OCTOBER 4 & 18, NOVEMBER 1 & 15, 2005 Lambert reported no action was taken related to the Parks Commission during the City Council meetings on October 4, October 18, and November 1. During the November 15rh PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 2 meeting, the Council approved a contract for services with SRF for designing and construction of services for the boardwalk overlook and the walk connections at the Purgatory Creek Recreation Area. They also approved the referendum results and the land swap with the school district. V. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS A. EDEN PRAIRIE BASEBALL ASSOCIATION REQUEST Lambert stated the Eden Prairie Baseball Association has informed the City it wants improvements for fields adjacent to Community Center. They have offered to pay for half of the cost of the proposal. The proposal includes the addition of lights, re-grading of the infield, upgrading of the backstop and fencing, and upgrading of the dugouts. EPBA is looking for permission to obtain cost estimates and come back to the City with estimates. Lambert stated an approximate cost for lights is around $100,000,plus an additional $30,000 to $50,000, depending on the type of dugouts. Lambert reported City staff will have more discussion with EPBA and will come back to the Commission. City staff strongly supports this proposal, especially because they pay for half the costs. Brill asked if there are neighbors affected by the addition of lights. Lambert responded if the proposal is approved, the City will notify the neighbors. The City has already approved lighting of the softball fields which are closer to residents than the baseball fields. Gerst asked for clarification on which fields are under consideration for lighting. Lambert responded the fields adjacent to the Community Center, in the middle of Round Lake Park. MOTION: Moriarity moved, seconded by Napuck, to direct staff to meet with representatives of the Baseball Association to determine more specific information regarding this request and cost estimates for each of the four improvements identified, and return the request to the Commission prior to forwarding a recommendation to the City Council. Motion carried 5-0. Bierman asked if there is a time table for the proposal. Lambert responded the Baseball Association has 60 days to get the cost estimates. If the City decides to move forward with the project, it will be completed late next summer. Brill asked if Field 6 also needs to be lit. Would it be economies of scale to light more than one field at one time? Lambert responded no, it makes more sense to light one field at a time. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 3 B. PROPERTY AT 9291 RILEY LAKE ROAD —REQUEST FROM TODD JACKSON Lambert stated the reason this item was added to tonight's agenda is because he received an email from Todd Jackson stating his intention to sell his property in January. Jackson acquired the property at 9291 Riley Lake Road after the last Commission meeting in February 2005. The Parks Commission had supported acquiring the property but the City Council voted against it. A month later, Jackson acquired the home. After using the property for one summer, his is not happy about the amount of activity by the public on the nearby beach. Lambert continued, Jackson is going to put it back on the market and wants to see if the City is interested again. Lambert stated he will urge the City Council to talk about acquiring the property again. There are two parcels left in the area. Both have lots of encumbrances now. An owner could not expand those properties outside the existing footprints. If the parcels are combined, a very large house could be built there and the City would lose any chance of acquiring the parcel. Mackay stated perhaps the Commission can forward this recommendation to the Council with the comment that Question 3 on the referendum may be used for this type of purchase. Napuck asked why the Council rejected the purchase of the Jackson property previously. Lambert responded the Council rejected it because $339,000 was too high of an asking price for a piece of parkland. Napuck asked if any of the other circumstances have changed since it was last presented to the Council. Lambert replied no. Napuck inquired where the money would come from to purchase the property. Lambert responded the money would come from the Park Referendum. The Council stated it was for acquiring undesignated lands critical to the park system. Lambert stated he believes the Jackson property is one of those lands and he would recommend the City acquire it for close to the $300,000 Jackson paid for it. Bierman asked if when the City buys something like this, it is limited to cash only. Lambert stated the City is limited to a five-year contract. Bierman asked if the City can use the building on the property can be used for a mini-conference center or something similar, or should it just be torn down. Lambert responded he recommends tearing the building down. It might be used as a rental property as long as there is someone next door,but only on a year-to- year basis. Napuck asked if the Commission can make a recommendation to the Council on land to be acquired because of the Referendum passing. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 4 Lambert stated the priority list he provided to the Commission in the winter of 2004/2005 has not changed. He can resubmit it and see how the Council wants to prioritize. Gerst asked Lambert to please do that. Mackay asked if Lambert sees any risk of losing the seller's interest by taking the time needed to prioritize. Lambert stated he told Jackson he would present the issue to the Commission. Jackson expects it to be presented in a timely manner, but he is not going to put the property on the market until January 2006. Mackay asked if the City can convey interest in the parcel and tell Jackson the Commission will work on it at the next meeting. Lambert stated he would recommend to the Council that City staff look at the price and also make it a priority to acquire this parcel in the future and also ask the Council what the funding should be used for. Napuck stated she does not want to recommend that the Council negotiate on the property until the Council has prioritized. She suggested the Commission look at the last prioritization list and then decide what to recommend to the Council. Gerst stated he likes Lambert's idea to begin negotiation. Napuck asked if the Commission can look at other parcels on the list to see the asking prices of those parcels. Lambert stated he can find out. One parcel has been sold twice since the last list. The others' status has not changed. Mackay asked what the concern is about negotiating. Napuck stated negotiation to determine price is fine,but this property should not be given priority over other parcels on the list last winter. Lambert stated the seller's asking price is $425,000, and that would be a nonstarter. But negotiating is to find out what the price is, tell the Council, and see if we move forward with the purchase agreement. Perhaps it can be negotiated down to $300,000. Bierman suggested the Commission go with the price in the $300,000 range, go forward with the staff and recommend proceeding with negotiations. MOTION: Bierman moved, seconded by Mackay, to recommend to the Council to authorize City staff to negotiate acquisition of the parcel and bring back the best price to the Commission and to the Council. Napuck asked if the Commission is going to handle this property that way, the other properties should be handled the same way —to negotiate the best price for this property and other properties. The other parcels considered should have equal weight. Gerst stated Napuck is more worried than is necessary. At the next meeting all the parcels will be on the list. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 5 Lambert stated he is meeting with Terry Picha regarding his property as well. There are approximately 25 properties on the list, and only the Picha and Jackson properties are for sale. Lambert will come back with the price status of those properties at the next meeting. The next meeting is on December 5. Lambert stated he will be flying in from out of town at 8:01 p.m. and will make it to the meeting as soon as possible. Therefore, this will be a discussion item for the January meeting. Brill stated his agreement with Napuck's approach to the Jackson property. Lambert's recommendation may be putting the cart before the horse. There is $860,000 for parkland acquisition and priorities need to be figured out before any moves are made. Mackay stated the recommendation would just allow the City to figure out the asking price. Gerst asked if City staff needs authorization to negotiate on the Picha property. Lambert responded no, because the Council never recommended against negotiating on that property like they did on the Jackson property. Lambert recapped that the last discussion held regarding the Picha property concerned the City was hoping to obtain matching funds grants as well as fundraising from Friends of Birch Island. Lambert stated he does not know the status of the fundraising efforts but will know that by the January update. The Commission considered the motion on the table, to recommend to the Council to authorize City staff to negotiate acquisition of the parcel and bring back the best price to the Commission and to the Council. Motion carried, 4-2. MOTION: Mackay moved, seconded by Napuck, to direct City staff to present to the Commission prioritization of land parcels with up-to-date asking prices for these parcels the January meeting. Motion carried, 6-0. Bierman asked Lambert if Jackson can sell the property prior to the Commission or Council voting on it. Furthermore, can specific negotiations regarding asking price be withheld from the public and/or press? Lambert responded the City does have the right to withhold information from the public when it is negotiating price. That may have to be off the record. If Jackson wants to list it for $425,000 in January but the City wants to negotiate much lower, then Jackson will not want that information on the record either. That discussion would be private. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. PARK SIGN DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 6 Lambert stated he would like park sign recommendations made tonight. The decision was put on hold after the last meeting due to a number of absent Commission members. Fox placed the different options for the redesigned park signs on the overhead for Commission members to view. Mackay asked Lambert if the City has considered allowing the public to vote on the park sign,perhaps via the City website. Lambert responded the Commission can recommend that to the Council,but use caution in involving the public in a decision like this. The public does not have the same background information available to them as the Commission does. Lambert recalled that years ago the Council was not happy with the City logo and one member suggested letting a member of the public create one. Only three or four submitted logos; only one had merit,but the Council was not happy with it and decided to go another route. The Council gave $100 to the young man who created it but had to listen to him and his parents who were very upset by the situation. Napuck stated she prefers the J design if the bottom logo, "Eden Prairie: Live, Work, Dream," could be expanded to the full width of the sign. Mackay stated a preference for logo F or C. Crichton offered a preference for logo D because the address is on top and the Parks and Recreation lettering on the bottom adds interest. Fox noted the selection of the new sign design will impact a lot of signs in the City in addition to parks facilities, such as the Fire Department and Senior Center. Mackay suggested each Commission member choose between Style 1, logo D, or Style 2, logo J. Brill indicated a preference for D and F. Mackay and Gerst stated preferences for D. Napuck reiterated she likes J with the expansion of the logo. Bierman stated he likes the logo "Live, Work, Dream." He prefers logo A the best, which is probably closer to Style 2. Moriarity stated a preference for Style 1. Students Danny Crichton and Graham Kist preferred Style 1. Gerst stated Style 1 is the preference among the Commission. Brill asked if Logo F could be modified to add "Live, Work, Dream" under "Eden Prairie." Mackay, Moriarity, and Napuck all agreed with the change. Fox noted the numerical address is a critical part of the sign, especially for non-Eden Prairie residents and emergency vehicles. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 7 MOTION: Brill moved, seconded by Moriarity, to recommend the City Council select park sign design F, with the modification of the addition of the logo on the bottom, to replace existing park signs throughout the City. Motion carried, 6-0. Mackay asked if the same style of sign will be used for smaller parks. Fox responded there are three sizes, so it can be proportioned down for smaller parks. VII. NEW BUSINESS A. RECOMMENDATION OF PARTICIPANT LATE PICK UP POLICY Lambert introduced Nicole Weedman, Recreation Coordinator to discuss her survey of other cities' late pickup policies as well as her policy recommendation. Weedman reported she found some parents do not arrive to pick up their children promptly. This summer a few parents were 30 or 45 minutes late. This burdens the child as well as City staff as there are budget implications for the City staff's hours being extended. Weedman reported the many daycares and also the YMCA have late pickup policies, so the City's implementation of a similar policy will not be unfamiliar to Eden Prairie parents. The City will allow a 10-minute grace period so parents will only be fined if they arrive more than 10 minutes late. Mackay asked for the reasons parents provided for arriving late this summer. Weedman responded the excuses ranged from forgetting the time to getting stuck in traffic to working late at the office, and one lady was simply home asleep on the couch. Mackay asked if this type of fee would be too punitive for parents, since most other towns do not have a similar policy. He asked if it is possible to have a policy where the City can assess but it is not mandated. Lambert responded it is unfair to have a policy where there is a policy in place but it is up to City staff discretion. Most of these employees are part-time, and they want direction in how to handle the situations. Lambert stated it is important to have a policy where everyone is treated equally. Gerst commented his two children are in a daycare where a similar policy exists. However, perhaps an appeals process can be included. Napuck asked for a clarification on the grace period. Weedman responded it is 10 minutes each time. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 8 Napuck commented as a parent who sometimes runs late, late pickups sometimes happen. The policy should allow for one or two excused late pickups before a fine is implemented. She stated the point of the policy is to take pressure of college kids in charge. There should be a way to do this without issuing fines. Lambert reiterated a parent can be 10 minutes late each time without paying a nickel. Weedman stated she has spoken with parents who are consistently 15 or 20 minutes late. The employees need that time to get their things together, debrief, etcetera. It is especially challenging when the group has special- needs children involved. Perhaps a verbal warning can be issued first, but that is a lot for the employee to keep track of. Moriarity commented the 10-minute grace period is generous. Verbal warnings create a record-keeping issue. Brill stated he likes the policy but would like the inclusion of an appeals process. Bierman asked for a clarification of what the policy is designed for—does it cover associations or just City activities. Weedman responded just City programs in the brochure. Lambert added the City does not have control over association programs. Bierman stated approval for the policy. In addition, he would support$2 per minute and would not support an initial verbal warning which creates too much additional work. Bierman added the City needs to make clear to the parents, if the program ends at 6:00, then 6:10 is the latest pickup time before charges begin. Crichton commented he read the book Freak-a-nomics recently which analyzed a daycare that began instituting a late pickup fee. After the policy was in place, even more parents were late to pick up the children because they felt so much guilt and did not care about the money charged. Graham stated $1 per minute is a small fee to pay for disrespecting others on the City staff. He stated he cannot be late for school without punishment and this policy is a small incentive to keep parents on time. Napuck clarified she does not make a habit of showing up late. But as a single parent, sometimes things happen. She stated she does not love her child any less because she runs late on occasion. Napuck expressed support for some sort of a policy,but went on to say it is offensive to make a parent pay because he or she is late one time. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 9 Bierman responded by creating a devil's advocate situation. If the coach himself or herself is a single parent, a parent late to pick a child therefore delays what the single-parent coach needs to do. Bierman suggested parents need to plan ahead and work something out with a neighbor or someone else when they will be delayed. Additionally, waiting for 90 minutes before calling the police is too long. Weedman stated the Eden Prairie Police Department was consulted about this policy and they said the employee should wait 90 minutes before calling. Napuck asked if an exception can be made for a parent who calls en route. Weedman replied the staff on-site can make a decision at that time as to whether it is justifiable. Crichton asked about bad traffic or an accident on the highway. Weedman responded staff can work with her in situations like that. Whether a fine is assessed may depend on if that parent has not been making an effort in the past. MOTION: Brill moved, seconded by Moriarity, to approve the Late Pick Up Policy for Parks and Recreation programs as written. Bierman asked if suggestions can be considered by City staff or will the policy be adopted verbatim. Lambert suggested the Commission adopt the policy as written. If there are amendments, offer them now so the policy will be black-and-white. MOTION: Brill moved to amend approve the Late Pick Up Policy for Parks and Recreation programs with the addition of an appeals process. Napuck asked Weedman why no surrounding cities charge similar fees. Weedman replied Eagan, Plymouth, and the Eden Prairie YMCA all charge fines. The City has endeavored to stay in line with the YMCA. Napuck stated a one-time grace period should be included. Lambert suggested she move to amend the current amendment to allow for one-time freebie. He asked Napuck how long the one-time freebie can be. Napuck commented she understands the need for the policy. She asked if it can be amended to allow for a parent calling and letting staff know about the delay, and then the staff can have the ability to decide whether to assess a fine. Weedman responded if parents know they can get a one-time freebie, they will all call. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 10 Brill suggested that a phone call can be included in the appeals process. Napuck stated if the appeals process incorporates the phone call, she will vote for the policy as amended. Mackay asked if the City can allow a first-time waiver of up to $10. The parent will still get the bill for$10,but it will be waived. Lambert responded the City is dealing with thousands of people and dozens of employees. That would create too many record-keeping problems. MOTION: Bierman moved to amend the policy to be worded: "If parent/guardian does not arrive at designated time for picking up participants, a late fee will be assessed. After a ten-minute grace period, the following sliding scale applies: $5 for the first 5 minutes; $10 additional for the second 5 minutes; $15 additional for the third 5 minutes and every 5 minutes thereafter." No second of the motion was made. Mackay moved to second the motion on the table as amended: "to approve the Late Pick Up Policy for Parks and Recreation programs with the addition of an appeals process." Motion carried 5-1. B. RECOMMENDATION OF PARK DEDICATION FEES FOR 2006 Lambert stated City staff recommends a higher increase than usual in the park dedication fees for 2006. He stated the City of Eden Prairie has always paid attention to what other cities charge rather than the City's increasing land values. Eden Prairie's land development is almost complete, so the staff recommends starting to make significant increases to get up to the "10 percent of raw land value" rule. Lambert reported the City Assessor believes the fee should be set at$5,000 per unit for residential and $4,100 for multifamily units. Bierman asked for a clarification of the formula used. Lambert stated 2 1/2 times $3,400 equals 10 percent of$85,000/acre. Eden Prairie's raw land value is actually $200,000 which would mean a fee of$8,000 per unit. He stated he is not recommending that jump to $8,000 because the developers and Chamber of Commerce would not be happy. However, the City should make significant jumps in fees over the next three years. Mackay asked how often these changes are made. Lambert responded every year. Mackay asked what the fee was two years ago. Fox replied about $3,000 per residential unit. Mackay asked what economic development thinks about the increase. Lambert stated they support it. He noted that last year Shakopee went from$2,500 per unit to $7,500, and they ended up in court. Shakopee lost the court case because of some of the reasons they stated for the increase on the record. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 11 Brill asked if the Council needs to approve this fee increase. Lambert responded affirmatively. If approved by the Commission, this will be a recommendation to the Council. The Council will then consider it as part of the fee resolution. MOTION: Napuck moved, seconded by Mackay, to increase park dedication fees for 2006 to $5,000 per unit for all residential development, increase fees to $4,100 for multifamily units, and increase fees for commercial and industrial to $10,000 per acre. Motion carried, 6-0. C. SPORTS FACILITIES COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES FOR 2006 Lambert reported the Sports Facilities Committee now has an idea of how the Associations work and the Associations have an idea of how each other works. He stated he does not believe the same three Parks Commission members should serve on the Sports Facilities Committee next year and also recommended the Chair should change every year. Lambert stated a desire to ensure the Sports Facilities Committee does not make the same mistake the Soccer Association has made, in relying on one person to have all the information and responsibility. Lambert reported he is very pleased with how the Committee has evolved this year. The discussion of facilities use was great,but now the information needs to be spread around. Lambert asked for volunteers to serve on the Committee 2006. Napuck and Mackay volunteered, and Mackay offered to serve on the Committee, in the role of Chair this time. Lambert stated the Sports Facilities Committee will meet four or six times per year, though there may be special meetings that arise. There were more meetings in its first year of existence than there will be in the future. Bierman commented during his role as Chair during its first year, he sees the Committee at a crossroads. At the meeting just prior to the referendum, only half of the representatives were present. Bierman stated the Committee needs to decide if it wants to be a strong, functional body or if it wants to be a figurehead. Bierman indicated he is willing to remain Chair for another year or is willing to move on. Mackay stated he would like to stay on the Committee, in the role of Chair this year,because he made commitments to people vis-a-vis the referendum and would like to follow through with them. MOTION: Moriarity moved, seconded by Brill, to appoint three Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commissioners, Ian Mackay, John Brill, and Geri Napuck, as representatives to the Sports Facilities Committee for 2006 and to appoint Ian Mackay as Chair of the Committee. Motion carried 6-0. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 12 D. EDEN LAKE PARK DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT PLAN Lambert reported a review has been conducted of Eden Lake Park which has suffered from drainage problems for 10 years. Twenty-five years ago, when the City acquired the area, the City expected to make parks out of the wetlands. However, the wetlands have sunk over the last 25 years as fill has continually been put on top of it. It simply does not drain anymore, and City staff has been asking for funding for several years to fix the problems. Fox added the City budgeted for this five years ago, thinking this would be an easy problem to fix. A wetland assessment was done, which is included in the packet of all Commissioners. The consultants determined there is unequal wetland area there, and City staff agrees. Today, the question before the Commission is how can we fix the problem under today's conditions. Lambert stated City staff would like to do a drain the project,but the question is can it discharge directly into Eden Lake because it is a manmade NURP (National Urban Runoff Program) pond. Fox added City staff would like to put in a catch basin, underground piping, and embedded drain tile. Lambert asked the Commission for approval of accepting the findings and moving forward to fix the problem. MOTION: Moriarity moved, seconded by Bierman, to accept findings of the Wetland Review for Eden Lake Park done by STS Consultants and have the staff proceed with plans for improving the site drainage for the athletic field and other park areas. Motion carried, 6-0. VIII. REPORTS OF STAFF A. DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION 1. Referendum Update Lambert stated the morning after the referendum, he received 40 emails and 20 voicemails asking when the various projects would begin moving ahead. One of the reasons the City had talked about a May referendum was because it would save a year of construction. Because this referendum was held in November, design will begin in January/February 2006, bids in late 2006, and construction in 2007. Lambert continued that decisions over the next year will be important. Currently the City has only concept plans, and it wants the users to be PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 13 involved in giving input. Lambert asked the Commission for input and questions. Moriarity stated he thought the levy would not be imposed right away because construction will not begin right away and asked if that is true. Lambert responded the City will sell the bonds in 2007. Three-fourths of the money will be spent in 2007; 20 to 25 percent will be spent in 2006; and the rest will be spent in 2008. The City will be spending the planning fees in 2006, along with the playground equipment improvements and possibly the tennis courts. Moriarity asked if the lawsuit regarding Flying Cloud ball fields has been settled yet. Lambert responded no, it is still in limbo. The situation has become bogged down with the Northwest bankruptcy situation. Mackay asked if there is anything the Commission can do to move the process along. Lambert reported the City is doing all it can do. He stated he spoke with MAC,but the FAA said nothing can be done until the lawsuit is resolved. Mackay asked if there is anyone he could write a letter to. Lambert responded maybe Mack or the Senators and Representatives in Washington, DC. Moriarity acknowledged Mackay and others for their hard work on the referendum in the form of letters and phone calls. Brill asked if revenue bonds will be issued for the ice rink in 2006. Lambert stated the City will be evaluating revenue bonds in 2006. Regarding the third rink, that has never been the City's project to push; it has been the Hockey Association's,but the City will work closely with them. Lambert continued City staff believes $1 million in revenue bonds can be sold for the third rink,but no more. As the third rink is a $2.5 million project, the Hockey Association will have to raise $1.5 million. Lambert noted a private company has built a studio-sized rink in Eden Prairie and is selling ice time to Eden Prairie and Edina. They are running 3-on-3 games, drills, et cetera. Lambert reported the company owner indicated U.S. hockey players cannot compete with Europe and Canada because it is too focused on kids playing lots of games rather than on drilling. A top 18-year-old Russian hockey player plays less than 30 games per year, while the average Eden Prairie 6-year-old plays 50 or 60. The owner relayed to Lambert that in a 3-on-3 league, the puck is on an individual player's stick five times as much as compared to a regular game. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 14 Moriarity commented it is good to hear support for a smaller approach to athletics. Soccer has gone much the same way. Lambert added parking does become an issue for soccer if the fields are cut in size and more players are using the same amount of space. Brill stated, as a resident of Edenvale,he is happy to hear there will be further discussion regarding Edenvale Park before things proceed. 2. Proposed Land Exchanse Lambert reported when the formal purchase agreement is obtained, he will come back before the Commission regarding the land exchange. 3. PCRA Desisn and Construction Services for Boardwalk and Walk Connections Lambert noted he suggests the City move forward with the fourth phase of the project, as the third phase was rejected last year due to high bids. Mackay asked if the path from Staring Lake to Purgatory Creek will be completed next year. Lambert responded it is already finished. B. MANAGER OF RECREATION 1. `Benefits are Endless"—Eden Prairie Parks and Recreation Lambert stated City staff puts out this brochure every year to inform the community of activities Parks and Recreation is working on. C. MANAGER OF PARKS AND NATURAL RECOURCES 1. Closure of Candlewood Parkway Fox presented an information item regarding the closure of Candlewood Parkway. The Candlewood connection is a secondary connection to Miller Park that was scheduled to be removed when T.H. 212 was built. The plan was to construct a second access to Dell Road prior to removal of the Candlewood access. However, due to construction delays, that is not practical. Fox reported there is a request to close Candlewood Parkway to continue with T.H. 212 construction The commitment is to continue to work on secondary access to Dell Road so it will be open by May 2006. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION November 21, 2005 Page 15 2. Lake Idlewild Fish Kill Fox presented an information item regarding the Lake Idlewild fish kill. He reported Lake Idlewild has always been one of those areas no one knows about, but it has been used as a fish-rearing pond by the DNR a number of times. During this process they have to kill predatory fish. They do this through Rotenone treatment. This report is to let the Commission know Rotenone was done. Bierman asked what fish the DNR found during this process. Fox responded crappies, bass, bullheads, nothing of any consequence. Lambert noted Tom Crain is closing on a house in another city and he will be sending the Commission a letter of resignation. Gerst asked if his spot will be filled prior or how it will be handled. Lambert stated he believes his term may be up in March but he is not sure. IX. NEXT MEETING The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 5, 2005, at 7:00 p.m. in Heritage Rooms 3 and 4. X. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Mackay moved, seconded by Bierman, to adjourn. Motion carried, 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:29 p.m.