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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 09/19/2007 - Other APPROVED MINUTES SPORTS FACILITIES COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2007 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Heritage Room#1 8080 Mitchell Road COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Ian Mackay, PRNR Commission Gary Greenberg, Foxjets Swim Team Janet Cheever, Girls' Softball Rick Jundt, Girls' Softball Shawn Cheesman, Football Association Carlos Cuellar, Soccer Club Ron Borchardt, Soccer Association Holly Buhler, Figure Skating Mike Frederick, Baseball Association John Klapperich, Lacrosse Association Pat Schook, Lacrosse Association GUEST: Ranee Jacobus, AquaJets COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT: John Brill, PRNR Commission Geri Napuck, PRNR Commission Nick Rogge, Hockey Association CITY/SCHOOL STAFF: Jay Lotthammer, Director of Parks & Recreation Stu Fox, Manager of Parks and Natural Resources Lyndell Frey, Recreation Coordinator—Fields Wendy Sevenich, Community Center Manager Mike Grant, Eden Prairie High School Deanna Damico, Parks & Recreation Intern RECORDING SECRETARY: Allison Burr I. Roll Call of Committee Members Chair Mackay called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. II. Approval of Agenda Motion: Cheever moved, seconded by Cheesman, to approve the agenda as published. Motion passed. III. Approval of Minutes—February 21, 2007 SPORTS FACILITIES COMMITTEE September 19, 2007 Page 2 Motion: Cheesman moved, seconded by Cheever, to approve the minutes as published. Motion passed. Abstentions: Mackay, Jundt, Cuellar, Frederick, and Schook. IV. Construction Updates Schools A. New Turf Field Updates Mr. Grant provided an update on the turf field. He noted there have been a number of games that were supposed to have been cancelled but were not due to the completion of the field. The construction came in on budget and on time. He noted there is increased interest in the bubble due to the new surface that will be there. He stated every field is used nearly every night. In response to a question regarding the bubble,he indicated the school does not need another bubble. He discussed that Jill Johnson manages all rentals, and that rates did not increase as a result of the construction improvements. City A. Edenvale Mr. Fox indicated this project is about 90 percent complete. B. Forest Hills Mr. Fox provided an update on the two new fields,park building, and skating rink at Forest Hills, noting the fields will likely not be useable in 2008. B. Miller 12 and 13 Mr.Fox indicated these two fields were converted to sand-based fields. He indicated the intent is to light fields 12 and 13,but it will depend on the budget. C. Round Lake Baseball Field Mr. Fox indicated this was supposed to have been seeded in early August,but there was significant rain during the month, so it was just seeded today. The field will likely be playable next August. E. Community Center Ms. Sevenich reported the walls in the Community Center are going. By January 1, the full locker rooms will be available along with the fitness studio portions, though the front entrance will still be closed. On April 1, the remainder of the facilities will be open and the front entrance will be open again. The pool and locker rooms will need to be closed down from December 10 to December 30 for renovations. She SPORTS FACILITIES COMMITTEE September 19, 2007 Page 3 noted a pay-per-visit play structure has been added to the construction plans. Finally, the third rink will not be operational until September 2008. F. Flyins! Cloud Mr. Fox indicated the referendum included funds to expand Flying Cloud. The plan has always been that upon approval of the MAC and FAA, the City would take that land from the existing driveway west to Mitchell Road and convert that into more athletic fields and parking. There has been a pending lawsuit, however, and at this point it looks like that is nearly settled. Moving forward,construction will likely be able to begin next year. G. Staring Lake Fields (Pioneer Trail Project) Mr. Fox indicated the City has been working with the County for three years on the upgrade and expansion of Pioneer Trail,which has a number of implications for trees, fields, and parks. The County has to have everything in line with the federal requirements and sewer and water, and the goal is to begin construction next spring. Staring Lake Park will be shut down during construction; the amphitheatre needs to be rebuilt as well. V. Update Association Contact List A. Information for Public Information Mr. Frey asked that each association update its contact information with the City. B. Brochure Information This was discussed above. VI. Request of AquaJets to Promote their Swim Program Ms. Jacobus indicated AquaJets has undergone a big change in the last year; it is no longer a privately held company, it is now a 501(C)(3). AquaJets is not asking for facility use, as they have a facility in Eden Prairie. She indicated close to 50 percent of the swimmers are Eden Prairie residents. She indicated AquaJets has made a commitment to stay in the area due to its facility. She noted the facility will be available for use by the City, should there be an overflow need. AquaJets would like to be considered as a viable option for members of the community and would like to be listed along with others who offer youth/amateur athletics. Mr. Frey explained the history of requiring certain percentages of Eden Prairie residents in youth athletic associations as it relates to City facility usage. He indicated this committee has to make a recommendation to the Parks & Recreation Commission, which will then make a recommendation to the Council. SPORTS FACILITIES COMMITTEE September 19, 2007 Page 4 Mr. Greenberg stated the FoxJets are opposed to AquaJets' inclusion in the brochure for a number of reasons. Up until now, any organization that has been listed in the programs has always been priority III organizations, which are those organizations that use City facilities. He stated this is a non-priority III club with less than 50 percent Eden Prairie residents that is seeking to use City resources and City publications to the detriment of an existing priority III club. This goes against the concept of trying to raise the bar to 70 percent Eden Prairie residents, and it also uses City resources. The one exception is Lacrosse,but they brought a new sport into the City at the time. Mr. Frey clarified that the City made an exception to allow Lacrosse to host camps with less than 50 percent Eden Prairie residents. Mr. Greenberg stated the catalog includes only priority III organization and this would be granting a variance to compete with an existing organization. Mr. Frey noted any of the youth athletic groups in the brochure currently that do not use City facilities,but instead use school facilities, are not required to provide the City all of the information that is required of organizations that compose the Sports Facilities Committee. Mr. Borchardt asked about the harm of including AquaJets if more kids will be provided with the opportunity to compete. Ms. Buhler stated her concern is what it can possibly do to the people in the sport from a competitive standpoint. She does not have a problem with AquaJets being included in the brochure, as long as this does not pull the people in the sport apart. Ms. Jacobus commented AquaJets and FoxJets do compete against each other; swimmers have left one club to go to the other. Mr. Greenberg stated FoxJets has been in Eden Prairie for over 25 years and is a 501(C)(3). He stated a consistent policy is important, so that the committee does not have to address this again and again. He asked whether the brochure should be available to any organization with even one Eden Prairie resident. Discussion was held regarding where most of the swimmers live. Chair Mackay stated he is not sure there is a policy about what goes into these types of City publications. The question is whether there is an issue of promoting multiple teams. Mr. Borchardt suggested there be a policy that requires organizations to be Eden Prairie- based and non-profit. Mr. Cheesman indicated priority III has to do with public facilities, and AquaJets is not asking for usage. SPORTS FACILITIES COMMITTEE September 19, 2007 Page 5 Mr. Greenberg suggested this be continued to the next meeting. Mr. Lotthammer stated this issue will also have to go before the Parks Commission, followed by the City Council meeting. Mr. Fox noted that if it is a contentious policy decision, it would likely have to go before the Council. Mr. Lotthammer stated committees and commissions do not make policy; they make recommendations. Chair Mackay stated there are multiple opportunities in setting a policy for additional discussion. If there are no objections, the Parks Commission can make a recommendation and staff can implement it. Mr. Frederick stated if baseball team came in and wanted to be published in the brochure, that would be fine with him. Mr. Borchardt suggested if a group is Eden Prairie-based, is a nonprofit organization with a board of directors and files the appropriate paperwork with the City, it should be included. Ms. Cheever stated Grace Church is a nonprofit and has a big baseball group. She asked the Committee to consider if they should be included as well. Mr. Greenberg stated there should be a policy that is applied consistently in all circumstances. Mr. Borchardt stated the 70 percent criteria makes sense from a facility usage standpoint because facilities are taxpayer-funded. Mr. Greenberg stated right now FoxJets is taking new members on a case-by-case basis; however, Eden Prairie residents are not turned away. Chair Mackay asked if it is reasonable to suggest the following parameters for inclusion: an Eden Prairie-based organization with a 25 or 30 percent Eden Prairie resident contingent that is willing to file its nonprofit documents with the City. Mr. Klapperich suggested the group be required to be in existence for a couple of years. Mr. Frederick suggested there be a 50 percent residency requirement. Mr. Frederick discussed Grace Church's efforts to start a baseball association. They are still part of the baseball association, but special team bylaws have been granted to them so they do not have to compete as much as travel teams and maintain the same schedule. SPORTS FACILITIES COMMITTEE September 19, 2007 Page 6 Mr. Grant stated the percentage concept can be troubling because there can be just one team with 100 percent, and they can meet the criteria. Discussion was held regarding what it means to be an established organization. Mr. Frey stated establishing the papers for a nonprofit organization does take significant time and effort. Mr. Grant stated there is some benefit to bringing in other groups to hold other associations accountable. Mr. Lotthammer stated it is in the City's best interests to promote and keep businesses healthy, so it would also seem that promoting more associations would be in the best interests of residents. Use of facilities is a different issue, as the City expends resources to maintain fields and facilities. Ms. Jacobus suggested AquaJets could pay a fee associated with the costs of printing the brochure. Mr. Greenberg suggested the following requirements for an organization to be included in the brochure: *consisting of 50 percent Eden Prairie residents; *a nonprofit organization; *the filing of the 990 form with the IRS; *the establishment board of directors and bylaws. Mr. Lotthammer suggested there are some situations that should be looked at on a case- by-case basis by the parks department, and the Parks and Recreation Commission can also be consulted. There are circumstances that are left up to staff's discretion. He stated this would not preclude bringing a certain case back to the Parks Commission or this committee. Chair Mackay stated it would be a benefit to come up with some policy recommendations to assist in those case-by-case bases. Mr. Lotthammer stated if the goal is to provide benefit and opportunity to residents, it would be better to rule on the side of inclusion rather than exclusion. Mr. Lotthammer stated this conversation will come up at the next Parks Commission meeting; they will look at this committee's feedback. Mr. Jundt asked for one additional criterion: if the organization does not require City facilities, the number of Eden Prairie participants is at the bottom of the priority list or is not relevant. SPORTS FACILITIES COMMITTEE September 19, 2007 Page 7 Mr. Frey stated any changes or corrections to the winter brochure need to be made by next Thursday. VII. Eden Prairie Youth Sports Code of Conduct This will be discussed at the next meeting. VIII. Agenda Items for Next Meetin! IX. Next Meeting Date The next meeting will be held on januafy 16, 2009. February 13, 2008. X. Adiournment MOTION: Moved by Greenberg, seconded by Frederick, to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 9:06 pm.