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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 11/05/2007 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2007 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, Jeffrey Gerst, Randy Jacobus, Ian Mackay and Joan Oko COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Margaret Krause, John Ostendorf and Steven Shouts COMMISSION STAFF PRESENT: Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director; Laurie Obiazor, Recreation Manager; Stu Fox, Parks and Natural Resources Manager; Wendy Sevenich, Community Center Manager 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. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Lotthammer asked that an item be added under VIIL A. New Business —Verizon Cell Tower Location. Motion: Barrett moved, seconded by Jacobus, to approve the agenda as amended. The motion carried, 9-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —OCTOBER 1, 2007 Napuck asked that the word "substantive" in the fifth paragraph on Page 3 and in the second paragraph of Page 4 be changed to read "substantial". Motion: Napuck moved, Mackay seconded, to approve the October 1, 2007, Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission minutes as corrected. The motion carried, 7-0-2 with Elliott-Stoering and Gerst abstaining because of absence from that meeting. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES November 5, 2007 Page 2 IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION— OCTOBER 2 AND OCTOBER 16, 2007 Lotthammer reported that at the October 2 City Council meeting, the Council approved the scoreboard agreement with the Eden Prairie Baseball Association for a signature scoreboard. The Council also conducted the first reading of the sidewalk and trails snow removal ordinance. The second reading of the ordinance occurred on October 16 and the City Council adopted the ordinance. Lotthammer further reported that at the October 16 Council meeting the Council authorized the purchase of a GPS unit that the Parks Department will have the opportunity to use. This will assist the Parks Department in laying out soccer fields and football fields in a more efficient manner. It will also help them locate certain items in the parks such as utility lines. Lotthammer said the Council also discussed the City's budget and additional information will be provided to the Commission on that item later in the evening. V. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION Fox reported that the Planning Commission reviewed a request from Presbyterian Homes for a project to be located at the corner of Prairie Center Drive and Highway 212. They are proposing to raze a 35 year old building and putting in its place a complex that will include retail, senior housing and some open market housing. This project will be done in phases and will include the sale of a parcel of City owned land on the corner of Columbine and Prairie Center Drive. This item is scheduled to go to the City Council within the next couple of weeks for the first reading. Fox said that there will be some cash park dedication fees generated from this project. Fees were collected when the first units were built and additional fees will be collected for the increased units in that area. Bierman asked how this project would affect traffic and the City's Fire Department. Fox explained that the buildings will have to meet fire code and no additional fire equipment will be required. With regards to traffic, Fox explained that there will be some new street patterns developed as a result of this development. VI. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION A. DOG PARK UPDATES Oko wanted to publicly thank Fox and his staff for taking care of the trees at the dog park in Staring Lake. The work done was greatly appreciated by all of the park users. They also appreciate the efforts made in removing the fence so that they have access to the park. Oko reported that for the last two years they have had an unofficial Halloween party at the park and this year they had 65 costumed dogs in attendance for a two-hour event. Oko said it is nice to have full use and safe use of the park. Oko gave a brief report on the Bryant Lake dog park reporting that the gates should be up this week with the opening occurring some time next week. There is PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES November 5, 2007 Page 3 no official open date. Bierman reported that 1,500 doggie bags have been secured at this time for the dog park and dispensers are yet to be obtained. VII. OLD BUSINESS A. BUDGET UPDATE Lotthammer reported that last week staff met with the City Council at a budget work session and the City Manager presented Budget Version 1.8 to the City Council. Essentially, Version 1.8 cuts are not as drastic as earlier versions. For example, in Version 3.0 the Parks Department was required to make some drastic changes to programming and park maintenance. Version 1.8 is very similar to Version 2.0 which was shared with this Commission and resulted in approximately $70,000 in cuts or revenue enhancements. Lotthammer further reported that discussion at the City Council meeting did not revolve around impacts to the various programs. Much of the time was spent on discussing the Capital Improvement Program(CIP) funding. Another item discussed was wages and how increases are given to City employees. Lotthammer said staff anticipates further Council discussion but they are not sure if the Council will go to the level of reviewing specific cuts to programs. Lotthammer said he believes the next step is for the Council to make a decision on the final budget at their December 13 meeting. Barrett asked if there was discussion by the City Council regarding this Commission's recommendation to not make any cuts. Lotthammer said the Council did not discuss the recommendation. He explained that staff also met with the Arts and Cultural Commission and they made a similar motion. Lotthammer said the Council was provided with a memo explaining both this Commission's and the Arts Commission's recommendation along with copies of their minutes. Elliott-S toering said there had been some discussion about not acquiring some land for trails. She asked where this is in the budget process. Lotthammer said those items were included in the Budget Advisory Commission's recommendation. He said he was not sure if those recommendations were included in the version where some of the capital projects were cut. The City Council has not specifically discussed capital projects. The Council suggested that there are sufficient funds in the CIP to currently fund everything for the next several years. The Council has not yet discussed cutting individual projects. This may come up for debate when those projects are brought to the Council in 2008. Brill asked what their flexibility is for adding new programming. He said if there are opportunities or a need for a new program, how much flexibility do they have over and above the $70,000 budget reduction to be able to make changes to their programming. Lotthammer explained that in order to do a new program they would have to look at other programs to see if they could reduce those programs PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES November 5, 2007 Page 4 in order to free up money for another area. Staff will have to be careful in other areas so they don't overspend to allow them to react to new initiatives. Napuck pointed out that somewhere in one of the budget versions funding for maintenance of trails was eliminated. She asked where trail maintenance stands. Fox explained that what they had asked for was additional funding in 2008 to contractually take care of trail maintenance and to free up City staff to do other things. Lotthammer said that with the new facilities they wanted staff to work in those areas instead of being used on the trails. That funding was cut and they will now maintain the trails in-house. Bierman asked that when they put the Community Center referendum together, should they have taken into account the additional on-going maintenance costs. Fox said that at several meetings they were asked how much it would cost to maintain the new facility. Staff was honest and open about the additional cost, although we did not have exact dollar amount, we did have some accurate estimates. Fox further explained that in this last budget cycle, there was a combination of things that occurred including the appointment of the Budget Advisory Commission who basically looked at the budget from their perspective. The Budget Advisory Commission centered in on the operating costs and questioned how much it would cost to operate the renovated Community Center. Bierman asked that as a Commission, what should they have done differently. Lotthammer pointed out that they also need to take into consideration the revenues that will be coming in with the Community Center. One of the lessons always learned is that no matter how many times you communicate costs not everyone is on board. Members of the Budget Advisory Commission were not included on the Community Center project from day one and when they got on board they wanted to go back and look at what was said. In order to get this done, there was a lot of discussion on the building side and capital side. If staff had known what the capital side looked like, there would have been more dialogue on what it would cost to operate and not assume people knew what staff was talking about but understand that costs will increase. Revenues in 2009 will be greater than in 2008 because of the timing of the opening of the Community Center. Lotthammer said he believes the next conversation they will have regarding this will be how close the operating margins should be for the Community Center. Barrett said that as a Commission they need to do a better job. Any time they bring major projects forward there is a variety of interest involved. They can't always predict accurately the revenue side. They need to reflect long-term capital improvement costs in the picture. This Commission has never approved a project like the Community Center before. It's not that they didn't do a good job but there are lessons to be learned. The downside to this is the term of the Commission members. The next time another project like this comes forward there will probably be another whole new Commission. Barrett said he believes they need to be more deliberate in pointing out what the numbers are projected. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES November 5, 2007 Page 5 Bierman said he thought the revenue would manage the maintenance costs. Lotthammer said the analysis and budget was evolving. As the project got smaller, revenues and expenses were impacted and while all of that was occurring, the budget was being prepared. It wasn't that information wasn't there,but probably wasn't widely publicized or looked at publicly. Lotthammer stated that staff is comfortable that they have a good opportunity to meet the revenue numbers and will continue to build the business. They are very excited to get the Community Center up and running. Staff will be working hard on marketing and selling this program. Fox pointed out that the dollar amounts for the ice arenas are on-going expenses at the Community Center. They have to take into consideration the age of the building and know that there will be an on-going preventive maintenance program. Barrett said this is something they will have to plan for in the future. In response to a question from Brill, Lotthammer explained that there are a few budget items specific to the Parks and Recreation Department that staff will review with this Commission in 2008 for feedback and recommendations. The Commission's recommendations will go directly to the City Council and not to the Budget Advisory Commission. B. CITIZEN SURVEY— COMMUNITY COMPARISON INFORMATION Obiazor explained that at the last Commission meeting, the Commission asked for a report on how Eden Prairie ranked in comparison to other communities. She stated that this information is not available in a written form but is more of a perceived judgment from Decision Resources that Eden Prairie rates higher in satisfaction in certain areas. VIII. NEW BUSINESS A. VERIZON CELL TOWER LOCATION Lotthammer explained that the City does have a policy regarding cell towers being located in a public place. In this particular request, the request for locating a cell tower on public land happens to be park land. The City has a lease arrangement with the cell tower owner who pays the City for using the site and for having access. Verizon has asked to install a tower on park property at Lake Riley. Originally, they had looked at placing the tower at the entrance to the park. Staff felt this would be difficult to screen since there are not a lot of trees at this location. Staff is now recommending that the tower be placed between the tennis court and basketball court. This is a large antenna and this site will allow it to be surrounded by some fairly large trees. Should the Commission approve this request, it would then be forwarded to the City Council for their consideration of a lease agreement at their December 13 meeting. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES November 5, 2007 Page 6 Peter Campbell, Verizon representative, explained that their landscape design is an extensive design to mitigate the impact of this tower to the park. Because of time limitations, the plans do not show the full extent of the landscape design. The shelter at the base of the tower would be more difficult to see because of screening. City ordinance does allow them to build a tower up to 65 feet and the tower they are proposing will be 65 feet in height. Oko asked what the distance of this tower would be from the lakeshore. Lotthammer said it would be approximately 650 feet. Oko said she is concerned that the tower would be used like a lightening rod to the beach area during a storm. Campbell explained that the tower has a lightening rod on it and a grounding system at the base. Oko asked if there is any chance of stray voltage being an issue. Tate from Design One responded that there have been some studies done on sites regarding stray voltage and it has been proven that this is not the case. Verizon has a very extensive grounding system to protect their equipment located in the shelter valued at$500,000. Oko asked if it would be possible to have the tower painted a different color to look more like a tree as opposed to what is proposed. Campbell said they can paint it a different color, however, when they try to make it look like a tree they draw the people's eye to it. They do paint the towers depending on a municipality's request and depending on the vegetation in the area. Verizon uses galvanized towers in other municipalities and some of them are painted white when there is no other vegetation nearby. He further explained that a white tower at this location would probably not look right because of the vegetation and he would suggest that if they are to paint it, it be painted brown. Bierman questioned the precedent that would be set by allowing Verizon to place this tower in Riley Park. Campbell explained that the City's ordinance requires that it be shown that no other towers or buildings in the area would accommodate their equipment. It also allows carriers to co-locate on other towers within one- half mile. This tower proposed at this location will be co-locatable by other carriers allowing them to attach their antenna to Verizon's structure. Bierman asked if it would become common in the future to allow these towers in City parks. Fox explained that there is a tower located at the Senior Center that has three different cell phone vendors on it. Throughout the City, there are several street light poles that have antennas on them and there are other cell phone locations all over the City. Fox further explained that this is a unique situation. In the last five years staff has had conversations about putting cell towers in certain parks. In this instance, there is sufficient coverage but the Commission must decide if they want a 65 foot that is difficult to hide. The light poles at Miller Park are 60 feet high on the soccer field and 70 feet to 80 feet high on the baseball fields. The 65 foot tower is the same height as the poles they use for athletic lighting. Bierman asked if there are any homes that are close to this site and would they be able to see the tower. Fox responded that the tower is located about 650 feet from the beach area and the nearest homes are located on the south side PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES November 5, 2007 Page 7 of the golf course. The tower will be tucked back so it can't be seen from the entrance to the park. Elliott-S toering asked about the terms of the lease between the City and Verizon. Campbell said it would be a 25-year lease. When Verizon leaves the site, they will bring it back to its original state as required by the lease. Oko said that Verizon leases the land from the City and in turn, Verizon can lease space on the tower to other providers. She asked if the City generates any additional revenue when Verizon leases space on their tower. Campbell responded that in order for another carrier to attach to the tower, that carrier would have to lease ground space from the City. Elliott-S toering asked if there would be tree loss as a result of the excavation and grading for the equipment facility. Campbell said there would be one tree lost but they are planting a significant number of additional trees in that area. Elliott- Stoering asked if the revenue generated from this lease goes into the Parks and Recreation fund since it is in a City park. Lotthammer responded that those funds go into the City's General Fund and it is not the Parks Department's responsibility to negotiate the lease amount. Mackay asked if there would be any digging for placing fiber underground to the towers. Campbell explained that they would not be running fiber. They will be using the nearest telephone or power lines from Riley Lake Road. Mackay also asked if their proposed natural gas generator is common for these types of towers. Campbell said it is very common. The generator will be tested once a month during the day and it typically runs for an hour at full load for testing. In response to a question from Mackay, Campbell explained that the generator sounds like a vacuum cleaner when it is at 100 percent. The generator is also located in a sound enclosure. Mackay asked if the tower needs a light on the top of it. Campbell said the FAA regulates this and he does not believe the FAA would require one. Elliott-S toering questioned if notification has been sent to the surrounding neighbors informing them of the proposed tower. She also asked about access to the tower and if it could be climbed. Tate responded that they would remove the climbing pegs from the tower. There will be a fence around the shelter area. Campbell explained that they have to go through the full Conditional Use Permit process which will include notification to the community. Fox said he anticipates that the notification area would be expanded to make sure that the people adjacent to this site are notified. Jacobus expressed concern for the noise generated by this facility because of its placement to the tennis courts. Tate explained that there would be an air conditioning unit on the side of the shelter and the noise level would be the same as a home air conditioner. Jacobus said if the units are noisy, people would not PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES November 5, 2007 Page 8 want to use the park. Campbell said the design is to try and help with the noise so that it is seamless in the park. Motion: Bierman moved, seconded by Barrett, to recommend that the City negotiate a 25-year lease with Verizon wireless for the installation of one painted brown cell phone tower at Riley Lake not to exceed 65 feet in height and supporting ground structures that will be landscaped to minimize visual ground effects and said tower to be located as proposed on the Riley Park site plan dated October 31, 2007. The Commission further recommends that because this tower is being installed on park land rather than traditional City locations, all annual lease fees be placed into the Park Reserve Fund. The motion carried, 9-0. IX. REPORTS OF STAFF A. DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION 1. PRNR Meeting Work Plan Lotthammer asked the Commission to start thinking about items they would like addressed in 2008. Those items will then be added to the Commission's work plan and will allow staff to structure the Commission's 2008 agendas. The following items were presented to the Commission as informational items: ■ Veterans' Day Flag Raising —November 11, 11 a.m. at Purgatory Creek Park ■ City offices and Senior Center closed November 12, 22 and 23; Community Center closed November 22 ■ Town Meeting —November 27, 7 p.m., Fire Station 4 Brill suggested that there be a naming ceremony for the Lambert Pavilion. Lotthammer said they have not yet talked about any naming ceremony. Brill said he felt that would be appropriate. Mackay asked what would be covered at the scheduled town meeting. Obiazor explained that the Council wanted to hold two town meetings per year. There are no specific topics but gives residents the opportunity to come forward with any City related issues. B. MANAGER OF RECREATION SERVICES 1. Sprinp,/Summer Recreation Program Review PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES November 5, 2007 Page 9 Obiazor presented an overview of the 2007 spring/summer recreation programs. She shared with the Commission the highlights of the programs offered this spring and summer. This was the first year that the Communication Division worked with the Parks and Recreation Department and improvements were made to the program brochures. Obiazor reviewed the participation in each of the programs with a total of 81,313 participants for 2007. In response to a question from Elliott- Stoering, Obiazor explained the Passport to Fun Scholarship Program and indicated that this item would be brought back to the Commission at their next meeting for further discussion. The following items were presented to the Commission as information items only: ■ Winter 2008 Program brochure—mail to all residents on November 17 ■ Cummins House Christmas —December 2 C. MANAGER OF PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES 1. Park Projects Update Fox presented the Commission with a 2007 Park Construction Summary and Update. Fox reviewed with the Commission the various projects relating to the 2005 Referendum. He also reviewed general park construction projects and provided the Commission with a park construction summary for 2007. 2. Sidewalks & Trails Snow Removal Fox pointed out that this item had been discussed earlier in the evening under City Council action. The City Council adopted an ordinance that specified the various responsibilities for snow and ice removal from trails and sidewalks within the City. The result of this ordinance is that the City will be responsible for nearly the same amount of miles of trails and sidewalks that the City previously plowed under the old policy. The difference is that the trails and sidewalks that are cleared by the City are located adjacent to streets and roads that are classified as major collector routes and will not be taking care of sidewalks in residential street areas. A copy of the ordinance was included in the Commission's agenda material. D. COMMUNITY CENTER MANAGER 1. Community Center Renovation Update PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES November 5, 2007 Page 10 Sevenich presented an overview of the Eden Prairie renovation and expansion project. She reported that the targeted completion date for the renovation is March 1, 2008. They anticipate the Fitness Center and Group Fitness Studio opening January 2, 2008 with the expanded men's and women' locker rooms available January 2. The front entrance will be available on or before March 1 and the childcare facilities and play structure are planned to open on or before May 1. Sevenich further reported that the third ice arena is scheduled to open in September. Membership enrollment began November 1, 2007. Sevenich reviewed with the Commission the membership rates and perks and explained the preparation they are doing for the opening of the Community Center. 2. Community Center Policies Sevenich reported that the Community Center management team reviewed and updated the policies and guidelines that will be used to maintain the Community Center and use of the amenities. A copy of those policies was included in the Commission's agenda material. X. NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting of the Commission is scheduled for Monday, December 3, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. in Heritage Rooms 1 and 2. XI. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Mackay moved, Barrett seconded, to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 9-0. The meeting was adjourned at10:00 p.m.