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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 02/05/2001 A QUORUM WAS NOT PRESENT. THESE MINUTES DO NOT REFLECT THE MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING. THE ACTION TAKEN MUST BE CONSIDERED AT A MEETING OF THE COMMISSION AT WHICH A QUORUM IS PRESENT. UNAPPROVED MINUTES PARKS & RECREATION CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMISSION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2001 7:00 P.M. CITY CENTER 8080 Mitchell Road Council Chambers COMMISSION MEMBERS: Kim Teaver, Chair; Don Jacobson, Vice Chair; Susan Dickman,Ann Birt, David Larson, Paul Sodt COMMISSION STAFF: Robert A. Lambert, Director Parks and Recreation Services; Tria Mann,Arts and Special Events Coordinator; Laurie Obiazor, Manager Recreation Services; Stuart A. Fox, Manager Parks and Natural Resources; Peggy Rasmussen, Recorder STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Rick Greywitt,Jonathan Erickson, Ben Mathews I. ROLL CALL Vice Chair Jacobson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Chair Teaver and Commissioner Sodt had excused absences. Commissioner Dickman and Student Representative Jonathan Erickson were absent. Staff was represented by Tria Mann and Stuart Fox. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Birt moved, seconded by Larson, to approve the agenda as published. Motion carried 3-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —DECEMBER 4, 2000 There was not a quorum to approve the minutes, as Commissioner Jacobson was absent from the December 4, 2000 meeting. IV. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS A. MRPA Meritorious Award (information item only) It was noted that Carla Kress, from the Parks and Recreation Department, received a Meritorious Award from the Minnesota Recreation and Park PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 5, 2001 Page 2 Association (MRPA) because of her outstanding service to the Therapeutic Recreation Section of MRPA. V. OLD BUSINESS None VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Crestwood Park Neighborhood Review Stuart Fox presented the plans for Crestwood Park, which would be located in the southwest part of Eden Prairie, adjacent to Dell Road. The City has owned 10 acres here for a number of years, but has not developed a park because sewer and water haven't been brought into the area, and there were not enough residents in the area to draw to a neighborhood park. However, it is expected that sewer and water installations will begin this spring, and there has been increasing development of the area. The preliminary design showed two tennis courts, one soccer field and a softball diamond. After looking at various factors the plan was changed, and the revised plan shows one tennis court and two soccer/football fields. There has been a decline in the number of people playing tennis and a big increase in the number playing soccer. The entrance was changed because of the realignment of Dell Road. There will be a 60-car parking lot, a play structure, a shelter building, a free-skating rink and a hockey rink. The shelter would be a year-around facility of block construction with a covered picnic area. A NURP pond for collection of rainwater will drain off toward Dell Road. The projected cost for the entire project is $700,000, which would be paid for from cash park fees. It is anticipated the hockey rink would be available next winter, and the whole park completed by the summer of 2002. Commissioner Jacobson asked if there would be trees planted around the perimeter of the park, and what kind. Fox replied there will be both evergreen and deciduous trees, which would be planted on top of a series of berms. Regarding the NURP pond, Jacobson asked if it would be used by an adjacent development or if it is just for the park. Fox replied it is primarily for the park but it would be used by a portion of Dell Road. Jacobson asked if the total cost includes playground equipment. Fox said it does; the $700,000 includes all amenities, including landscaping. Jacobson inquired if anyone from the audience wished to speak. Pam Olsen, 9480 Stable Path, asked if the amount of parking is about the same as Staring Lake Park. Fox said it is a little larger than Staring. Olsen asked if it is necessary to have more parking than Staring has. Fox said it is needed because there will be no parking allowed on Dell Road. PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 5, 2001 Page 3 Olsen said she recalled an incident at another park about the noise from the basketball court. Jacobson said that was at Franlo Park because of the noise of the ball hitting the backboard as it went through the hoop, and also the people were using boom boxes. Olsen said she would like to eliminate that problem by moving the basketball court over next to Dell Road the way it was in the preliminary plan. In the current plan it is located close to houses. Fox said soccer fields are always placed in a north-south orientation. However, the two fields could be stacked end-to-end. He said he would note her comments. Todd and Michelle Toepke, 9898 Dell Road, said they were wondering if there is any possibility of getting sand volleyball courts. Fox replied when staff looks at facilities, they base it on need as well as area available. Currently there are state- of-the-art facilities at Riley Lake, one-half mile away from this proposed park. If there should be a demonstrated need from the neighbors they will provide a sand volleyball court,but the City doesn't want anything to be underutilized. Todd Toepke said the City also runs that risk with a tennis court. His observation has been that when you go to a park, a volleyball court is more used than a tennis court. He asked if there is a possibility of having one. Fox said this is the first chance for people to look at the plan. The Program Planning Board meets at the end of the month and then the Planning Board the second Monday in March. After that the plan will go to the City Council for approval, so there are a number of public meetings if there is more information people want to bring forward at that time. Toepke asked if there is a possibility of putting a volleyball court in the same place as the skating rink. Fox said there would be a possibility of putting it in a location such as the skating rink. Kathy Weber, 9650 Stable Path, who sent a letter to Mr. Fox expressing her concerns, said she and her husband have six acres directly to the north of the park. They have lived there for 23 years and have a barn and riding ring in the middle of the property for their horses. She wanted to know what type of transition area is planned between the park and her residential property. There may be a problem with children trespassing onto their land to see the horses. Fox said there would be a berm with trees planted on top of it. She asked how high the berm is expected to be. Fox said it would be six feet high, with trees spaced 25 feet apart. The trees would be six- to eight-feet tall, and would be a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees. Weber didn't think that would provide much of a sight barrier. She asked if the City could put up a fence as well. Fox said the City doesn't typically put fences around the parks. At Prairie View Park the adjacent owners put up an electrified fence, however. Weber asked if there could be thicker plantings. Fox said if they are placed too close together; after a few years mature trees start to crowd each other out. They could be planted in double or triple rows, however. Weber was concerned about the lights around the hockey rink, as their house faces in that direction. Fox said the lights would be downcast with a shield that directs the light onto the ice surface and not as much to the sides. The lights are on from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and are turned off manually. It hasn't been decided PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 5, 2001 Page 4 whether to light the parking lot, but if they do, the lights would be on a timer and turn off one hour after the park closes. They would also be downcast fixtures. Weber asked how the shelter would look. Fox said it will be single-block construction that fits well into the neighborhood. Weber asked about landscaping around the building. Fox said there would be a limited amount. Weber said she questioned the feasibility of having a hockey rink and warming house in a park of this size. It is supposed to be a small, neighborhood park. She asked if there wasn't room for another rink at Riley Lake Park, where the old barn is, which is not being used. The activity at the hockey rink would be noisy, and she would like to see this removed from the plan. She asked when people would be able to see an actual site plan. Fox replied at the next public meeting they will have photographs of the buildings. Staff is working with the architect now to get color renderings finished. Regarding the skating facilities, the City's goal is to have a service area that has a one-mile radius. There aren't any rinks within one mile of Crestwood Park, and the Crestwood area has been without a neighborhood park for many years. Weber asserted that Riley Lake Park and Staring Lake Park could use another skating rink and she asked that consideration be given to that. Fox said the City wouldn't put a rink at Riley Lake Park because there is no warming house. Diane Brown, 9701 Crestwood Terrace, said she thought this was going to be a small neighborhood park. She didn't like to see lights on at night until 11 or 12 p.m. Fox replied the park closes at 10 p.m. Anybody there after that time would be expelled. Fox said all the City parks are used by athletic associations and not to a great extent by adults. When this land was purchased, the City knew this area was going to be developed and felt it necessary to provide park facilities. The concept of a neighborhood park is that people can walk to it and use the facilities available. Riley and Staring are City parks, not neighborhood parks. The apple orchard property has been under development for about two years and will be done in two more years. There is the potential for hundreds of people looking for a neighborhood park. Crestwood Park would be for everybody in the service area, including Crestwood and Settlers Ridge. There will be a trail connection to Settlers Ridge along Riley Creek. The park could service quite a few homes within that area. Weber said they would probably cross her property to get there. Scott Sundquist, 18395 Dell Drive, said he and his neighbors across the street want to keep this end of the street where he lives as a cul de sac. It is enclosed except for a City easement. It looks as if people will cross his property to reach the park, because they would go from the creek and up the easement to the park. He said it looks as if the pond would be a landing area for the geese and they would eat the grass in the soccer fields, so he would like to see lots of trees to discourage the geese from landing. He understood there would be a maximum of PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 5, 2001 Page 5 32 parking spaces in the lot, but he believed that with two soccer fields more parking would be needed. People would fill sixty parking spots when there is a soccer tournament, so that may not be enough. Fox replied there are associations playing in every neighborhood park in the City. Sundquist said there are going to be times when residents won't be able to park because associations will be there and they will end up parking on the road. He would like to see the park downsized so it won't attract so many people. Fox said, with regard to the proposed trail, he didn't know what will happen to the easement area the City owns. Dell is a planned City street and won't remain a cul de sac. The City may have to acquire an easement to get to the right-of-way. David Larson asked for the planned completion date. Fox replied the City anticipates completion would be to have grading completed in August 2001 and seeding could be done then. The shelter building and construction of the skating rinks is to be completed by skating season in December 2001. The final work would probably be done in the spring of 2002. Larson asked how many homeowners is this park planned to serve? Fox replied typically it would serve a half-mile radius and probably serve 750 households. Larson asked how many homes have been built in the area. Fox said probably 150 have been built in the apple orchard development. He believed there were another 300 homes to be built there. Ann Birt asked why couldn't Fox interchange the hockey rink with the play structure? Fox said the City likes to put small children in the center of the property, not close to the street. However,he would look into that idea. Larson asked if the City had done a survey as to what people in the neighborhood want to have in the park. Jacobson replied that is done through public meetings such as this one. Larson asked if it would be possible to do a survey in order to give the neighborhood what they want. Oak Park has not been developed yet, so why doesn't the City wait until that happens? Fox replied the City has never designed a neighborhood park by survey. When they take a look at neighborhood parks they observe what facilities people use. The City has a total of 28 neighborhood parks, and the facilities being proposed in Crestwood Park are based on what is being used at the other parks. The trend shows the need for soccer fields. If the demand for facilities changes, the City can put in a softball diamond instead of soccer. Neighborhood parks are from 7 acres up to 22 acres in size. Community parks are 75- to 150 acres. Larson asked if City taxes are used to construct the parks. Fox said yes. Larson asked about downsizing this park by removing the hockey rink and putting it at Riley Park. Fox replied there isn't room at Riley Lake Park without taking out some existing facility, and no room for a shelter building. The barn with the riding arena is a designated historic site and could not be used for a hockey rink. PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 5, 2001 Page 6 Gary Ryan, 9869 Crestwood Terrace, said he has three children and he coaches soccer and hockey. The children have been talking about this park for years. There are many homes in Crestview and he didn't want the City to get the impression that the entire neighborhood is against this park. He wouldn't allow his children to go to Riley Lake Park by themselves and would appreciate having the hockey rink at Crestwood Park. Regarding a survey, he was asked by the City to be part of one last October,but was not available that day. Fox said there were two surveys — one electronic brainstorming session in October to find out what people want in future park development. The other survey was mailed to residents to fill out that will give guidance for park facilities throughout the City. Mrs. Weber said she would like to see the lighted facilities moved to Miller or Riley Lake Park. The hockey association will use this hockey rink so people will be driving their children, and they won't have to cross the highway to get there. A person in the audience said he would use the hockey rink but would rather see it moved away from the Weber's property by removing one of the soccer fields and moving the hockey rink to the other side of the property. Rick Greywitt said he believed people would cross the road to play hockey. He plays hockey at Miller Park and has to cross the road to get there. Fox said there is a certain amount of time for the neighbors to use the hockey rink and then the coaches for the hockey association have certain blocks of time to use the hockey rink. The shelters are staffed by seasonal employees so they are open during the two-week holiday period from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. After that it is open after school until 9 p.m. The rinks will all be closed by President's Day weekend, so they are used for a short period of time. The area could be used during the off season for something else,but that is not planned at the present time. Mann said summer playground programs would be held from mid-June to mid- July, Monday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Birt suggested by taking out one soccer field and moving the hockey rink more toward the center, along with the warming house, there would be room for volleyball. Weber added that hockey pucks don't always stay within the rink, and they might hit her horses. A person in the audience suggested planting trees near the soccer fields to give shade to people playing in the tournaments. Fox said these soccer fields are 60 yards by 100 yards in size. Regulation size would be 70 yards by 110 yards, so there wouldn't be any soccer tournaments held at Crestwood Park. A few more deciduous trees planted along the playground, etc., would be a good idea. The budget for the playground area is $150,000. Preserve Park has a new playground facility that would be comparable, if people want to see how the playground will look. PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 5, 2001 Page 7 Fox was asked if the proposed water and sewer lines would be brought into the area before the park is built. Fox replied his understanding is that the Engineering Department is still working with the neighbors, but the City hopes to have it in by the time the park is built. Birt said perhaps staff should look at the plan again, take concerns under consideration and see if the City can answer some of them. Ben Mathews said soccer is very popular now, and the City needs as many soccer fields as it can get. He travels to other cities just to find fields to play on. He didn't think it would be a good idea to take one out to put in a hockey rink. Larson said he thought more input was needed from the community on what they want to have in the park. He would recommend that City staff work with the Webers to put them at ease about their horses, perhaps by installing some form of fence. Fox said they have to be under construction in May if they are going to have the facilities open for December. Stan Hammer, 9624 Jonathan Lane, said his children are 6 and 9 years old and he didn't want them to have to wait for a park. Eden Prairie is growing, the apple orchard development is growing, and there are going to be many children. Waiting won't help, no matter where the park is located. Stu Fox has used data from other parks to determine what facilities are needed. A person in the audience said the neighborhood is asking to look at other options and designs and put them together for the neighborhood to look at. Not everybody will get what they want, but perhaps they can find something the majority can approve. Fox said the Program Board and Community Planning Board would be holding public meetings in March. He will consider doing two or three different designs for those meetings. He didn't want to get into a situation of designing this based on what each person likes; that pits neighbor against neighbor. He wants a plan that is functional. The reality is that this land was designated for a neighborhood park. The developer of the orchard pays $2,000 per home in cash park fees, which are used to build the parks. Jacobson thanked everyone in the audience for their input. He asked for a motion from the commissioners. MOTION: Larson moved, seconded by Birt, to consider slowing down the time frame for constructing the park; that staff consider working with the Webers on a fence or overall protection; and develop a design to down-size the park to meet the premise of a neighborhood park. Motion carried 2-1, with Jacobson voting nay. PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 5, 2001 Page 8 VII. REPORTS OF STAFF A. Manager of Parks and Natural Resources 1. Appointment of Task Force for Developing Program and Desisn for Puriatory Creek Recreation Area Fox reported that the City Council has approved appointing a task force to review Purgatory Creek Recreation Area for development, with one or two people from each commission and one from the Council. The land is north of the Flagship Athletic Club at Prairie Center Drive and Technology Drive. The City Council will be making those appointments at its meeting on February 6. There is to be one appointed from the Parks and Recreation Commission. No one present had been contacted about serving on this task force. B. Arts and Special Events Coordinator A. 4th of July Celebration 1. Request for Judges for Sand Sculpture Contest Mann said staff has requested that the commission pick a minimum of three volunteers to help judge the sand sculpture contest as part of the 41h of July Celebration. The winner will be given a gift, such as a 4t' of July T-shirt. Kim Teaver has volunteered. Jacobson said there will be new commission members at the next meeting, and he recommended carrying this item over. Mann said to give her the information if commissioners know of anybody who would be willing to serve as a judge. 2. Last Meeting for Don Jacobson Jacobson said this would be his last meeting as a member of the Parks and Recreation Citizen Advisory Commission. He has been on this commission for six years and it has been very enjoyable. He might return after taking a year off. VIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Birt moved, seconded by Larson, to adjourn the meeting. Vice Chair Jacobson adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m.