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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 07/07/2003 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY,JULY 7, 2003 7:00 PM, CITY CENTER Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: Jeffrey Gerst, Vice Chair; John Brill, Tom Crain, Randy Jacobus, David Larson, Ian Mackay, Bruce Schaepe COMMISSION STAFF: Parks and Recreation Director Bob Lambert, Manager of Recreation Services Laurie Obiazor, Manager of Natural Resources Stu Fox and Recording Secretary Theresa Brundage I. ROLL CALL/CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER Vice Chair Gerst called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Chair Barrett was absent. It was noted that Swanson's position is vacant and in the process of being filled. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Larson moved, seconded by Brill, to approve the agenda as published. Motion carried 7-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —June, 2003 Larson made a correction to the roll call, noting that Crain entered the meeting after it began. MOTION: Mackay moved, seconded by Jacobus, to approve the minutes of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission meeting held June, 2003, as amended. Motion carried 7-0. IV. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS A. Jean Harris Gathering Bride Fund Raising Group Presentation Don Klingel and Basil Wissner of the Jean Harris Gathering Bridge Fundraising Committee gave a presentation and asked for support of the project to be located in the new Eden Prairie Purgatory Creek Recreation Area. The project is a tribute to the late Mayor Harris, with African heritage symbols and her"10 lessons of life" as part of its design. Klingel said the bridge will be built to honor the memory, principles and spirit of Dr. Harris. He gave further biographical information on Harris and highlighted her many accomplishments including service as an Eden Prairie City Councilmember since 1986 and Mayor from 1995 until her death in 2001. Klingel gave details on how the bridge will be constructed and said the total project PARKS,RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES July 7, 2003 Page 2 cost will be about$150,000 with scheduled completion in the fall of 2004. He said the committee will apply for available grants and send mailings to area businesses and residents requesting donations. Lambert noted there is no formal action requested on this item and the presentation was for informational purposes only. V. OLD BUSINESS A. Cedar Hills park Desisn (continued from May 5th meetingl Parks & Recreation Services Director Bob Lambert reported residents were concerned about the design of the park with or without the off-leash dog area. He said the Cedar Hills off-leash dog area was denied by the City Council. Manager of Natural Resources Stu Fox pointed out parking lot,play and soccer areas and trail locations on the plans. Lambert noted that MAC has a lease on an adjoining lot and they have sent a letter indicating they will renew the 3-year lease with the Andersons. He said in that same letter from MAC, they indicated Flying Cloud ball field is not acceptable. Lambert said the expansion would have to be scaled down. Tom of 16501 Valley Road said he is concerned about the entrance off Valley Road. He said the road is too narrow and suggested using the easement to connect Valley Road to Hilltop Road. Fox noted it is not an easement, it is a dedicated right-of-way. Rob Phillips of 9377 Shetland Road said the neighborhood is extremely supportive of the project and appreciates efforts of the commission. He suggested a land use plan be put in place with the park open to all people in the community and the area should be left as an open area. Mackay asked if there are setback requirements for the trail. Fox said it is 3 feet. Jacobus asked how parking problems could be prevented. Lambert said it is legal for people to park along city streets unless it is designated `no parking.' Lambert said he does not anticipate problems, but signs can be posted with designated hours if necessary. Crain asked about the demand for disc golf in the city. Lambert said there are currently two sites at Bryant Lake Park and Staring Lake Park. He said there can be negative issues such as trash and location of such an activity should be a concern because of adult language when the area is next to homes. He said care should also be taken in the design if mixing the use of disc golf with public trails so the two activities do not conflict. Schaepe asked if other names had been explored for the park. Lambert said the park PARKS,RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES July 7, 2003 Page 3 was named at a recent City Council meeting where it was decided that residents could easily identify the park for its currently named area in the city. MOTION: Jacobus moved, seconded by Mackay, to approve the concept design for Cedar Hills Park without the recommendation of an 18-hole disc golf course. Motion carried 7-0. B. Discussion of For-Profit Use of Public Facilities (continued from April 7, 2003) Lambert stated Staff is available tonight to answer questions regarding this item. He said at this point, the City provides maintenance at the parks and receives no revenue from associations and other programs when facilities and fields are used. He said City policy allows only Eden Prairie non-profit public service groups to reserve the facilities for the purpose of raising money, but there are currently groups that are not non-profit organizations reserving and using the facilities through the associations. Lambert said there are currently 14 different athletic associations using the parks. He said the fields are used heavily with little recovery time, with soccer, lacrosse and football,baseball and soccer being the main users of the fields in summer. Lambert wanted to notify the commission of Staff concerns and suggested the City control the schedule of the fields. He said this is the first step in what could be a fairly lengthy process in making decisions on this issue. Jacobus said the city's policy seems to be in line with other communities,but he is concerned that the soccer association seems to be getting around paying for use of the fields. He said it seems the intent of the policy is broken. Lambert suggested the policy be changed to allow all youth leagues play free,but for any camps, clinics or special instruction beyond league play, a rental fee will be charged. He noted Woodbury has a good plan in place and fees need to be addressed. He said in order to be fair to taxpayers there should be fees for users that are generating significant amounts of revenue for individuals and organizations. Jacobus asked who decides when not to play on fields in the rain. Lambert said Staff makes the decision and lights are kept off to help with this. Brill asked how an event is designated non-profit. Lambert said the definition involves whether or not a coach or instructor is being paid. He said the facilities are not there to deny public access so that a group can make a profit. Bob Lanzi spoke regarding use of the fields. He said most associations have in- house staff for training. He said the issues here are to determine for-profit usage, level of breakdown of the facilities, and how to charge fees. He said the high school currently rests its fields and doesn't allow athletic associations to use them,but uses public facilities for camps. PARKS,RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES July 7, 2003 Page 4 Jacobus said high school coaches should be able to enhance their players and there should be a distinction between high school and big business. Larson said anytime he pays a fee for his child to participate, then it's for profit. He said the City is subsidizing the field. He said the solution needs to be made as simple as possible by charging everyone who charges a fee for camps, clinics, etc. Lambert suggested changing rules to limit use to Eden Prairie-based kid camps with a fee. He suggested coaches go through associations with 75-80 percent Eden Prairie kids. Mackay said if the fields are being oversubscribed, the City needs to allocate the use of the fields. He said association use of the fields needs to be identified. Crain said he is concerned about shutting out children who cannot afford fees. Lyndell Frey said the in-house level of association play has a reasonable fee, but the traveling level is more costly. Rob Phillips asked when the for-profit/non-profit designation was put into effect and when did costs increase. Lambert said it's been in effect since 1978 and costs increased as number of games increased. Phillips said the people who use the facilities should be the ones paying for it. Gerst said the first step should be scheduling. Lambert said a criteria needs to be developed for all sports as far as their needs for facilities in order to control the use of the fields efficiently. That could only happen if all associations were required to use the same software as the City, so everyone was looking at the same schedule. Schaepe said there are many shades of gray with fees. He said a flat rate does not make sense because of heavier use with clinics and camps. Crain suggested putting together a task force together to determine fees and define issues. Fox said the high school is now considering charging fees for use of their facilities. Mackay suggested Staff look into a reservation and scheduling system and report on capacities. Lambert suggested taking the City of Woodbury's model and use it as a guide for developing a policy. He said capacities of the fields are very different and you cannot accurately gauge them. Lambert said Woodbury is just beginning implementation of their policy. MOTION: Gerst moved, seconded by Larson, to ask Staff to review the City of Woodbury's public use of city facilities policy and provide a version of it with recommendations for a scheduling model. Motion carried 7-0. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Review of 2004-05 Budget Proposal (CIP projects and new programs) PARKS,RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES July 7, 2003 Page 5 Lambert reported that revisions on CIP will be updated again in December. He said the purpose is to give a ballpark estimate to determine what can and cannot be done. B. Adopt-A-Park Program Lambert said there is a company that inquired about this,but the City does not currently have a program. He said as the City matures, the need for an adopt-a-park or adopt-a-facility program should be considered and Staff will pursue it if the commission wants. Fox said scout groups, students doing community service projects, and handicapped adults currently clean the parks so if a plan is adopted, it will have to be site specific. Crain suggested enhancements within the parks as part of the program. Gerst said he'd like to see Staff provide a proposed program. Schaepe said he does not feel there is a need because of the amount of current volunteers. Lambert said at this point, there is not a strong need,but Staff can draft a proposed program if necessary. The consensus of the Commission was not to develop a program at this time. C. Review of Playsround Replacement Program Fox said the playground replacement program is based on hazard formula standards that were adopted nationally. He said the current budget is at$50,000 per year and the schedule goes through 2008. He said the majority of wood structures are scheduled to be replaced on the current schedule, and the schedule could be adjusted depending on neighborhood needs. Mackey asked about arsenic and staff stated that the site was tested and found that it is not an issue. Commission member Larson left the meeting at 9:I0 p.m. D. Riley/Jacques Farm Site Plan Lambert said the site is scheduled for improvements this year with $400,000 budgeted and $750,000 needed. He said $50,000 will come from the Park Dedication fund and the City Council may decide to provide additional funding from that fund. Lambert said the requested action is to approve the $50,000 and the balance of the $250,000 will be supported by the Historical Site Restoration Fund. Lambert said it is recommended that the commission support this because it is the best recreational use of an historical site and it is the only site to be run by the City of Eden Prairie. MOTION: Gerst moved, seconded by Jacobus, to approve the concept plan for the PARKS,RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES July 7, 2003 Page 6 Riley/Jacques Historic Farm within Riley Lake Park. Motion carried 6-0. VII. REPORTS OF STAFF A. Director of Parks and Recreation Services 1. Report of Council Actions June 17 and July 1 Lambert said at the 6/17/03 Council meeting, it was agreed to eliminate the 8 p.m. closing of the court and eliminate 8 feet of the court located in the setback at Franlo Park. a. PCRA Trail Bid Lambert reported that the Purgatory Creek trail bid came in at $1.4M. b. PCRA Restroom Bid Lambert said the City Council awarded the bid for construction of restrooms at the 7/l/03 meeting. B. Manager of Recreation Services 1. 4th of July Report Laurie Obiazor, Manager of Recreation Services, reported that the weather was great for the celebration with the best ever fireworks finale. She said 250 persons registered for the marathon and 65-70 for the fishing contest. VIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Schaepe moved, seconded by Jacobus, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 6-0. Vice Chair Gerst adjourned the meeting at 9:40 p.m.