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Home My WebLink AboutParks and Recreation - 01/07/1991r 1991 JANUARY 7 } E 1!/II��T�J T S CITY OF EDEN PRAIRIE AGENDA EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 1991 7:30 P.M., CITY HALL 7600 EXECUTIVE DRIVE COMMISSION MEMBERS: Raiford Baker, chairperson; Karon Joyer, Paul Karpinko, David Kuechenmeister, Pat Richard, Del Vanderploeg COMMISSION STAFF: Robert A. Lambert, Director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources I. ROLL CALL II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 19, 1990 IV. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS A. Request for Variance to Permit 20 Hsp Motor on Mitchell Lake V. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS None VI. OLD BUSINESS A. PFD'S in Public Parks VII. NEW BUSINESS A. Review of Changes in Fees for 1991 B. Volunteer Driver Policy C. Recommended Increase in Senior Transportation Donation D. Review of Draft Regional Recreation Open Space Develoi2mtn Guide/Policy Plan from the Metropolitan Council VIII. REPORTS OF COMMISSIONERS AND STAFF l` A. Reports of Commissioners 1. Status of Garden Club - Karon Joyer w z. AGENDA - Parks, Recration & Natural Resources January 2, 1991 Page 2 B. Reports of Manager of Recreation Service 1. Athletic Programs - Season Ending Reports a. Men's 3-Man Basketball - Fall 1990 b. Adult Tennis --Summer 1990 c. Racquetball - S ring 1990 d. Wallyball - Spring 1990 s e. Wallyball - Fall 1990 f. Touch Football - 1990 2. Change Over to Canned Pop in Vending Machines IX. REPORTS OF CITY COUNCIL A. City Manager's-Update - December 7 1990 B. City Manager's Update - December 21 1990 C. Council Meeting - December 18 19911 X. AJ?JOURNMENT agenda/1 APPROVED MINUTES C- EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS, RECREATION & NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION Monday, January 7, 1991 7:30 p.m. , City Hall 7600 Executive Drive COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Bud Baker, chairperson; Karon Joyer, Paul Karpinko, Pat Richard, Del Vanderploeg COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: David Kuechenmeister COMMISSION STAFF: Bob Lambert, Director of Parks , Recreation & Natural Resources; Laurie Helling, Manager of Recreation Services, Sandy Werts, Recreation Supervisor, Dave Black, Community Center Operations Supervisor, Julia McFadden, Recreation Supervisor for Aquatics and Fitness i I. ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 7 : 30 p.m. by chairperson, Bud Baker. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Baker added 2. Round Lake Scheduling under VIII. Reports of Commissioners and Staff, A. Reports of Commissioners. MOTION: Richard moved to approve the agenda as amended. Karpinko seconded the motion and it passed 4-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 19, 1990 Baker referred to the item on Page 2 regarding flooding a skating rink at Franlo Park. He asked if the resident had decided not to flood it. Lambert said that was the case, but that staff would be working on a concept plan for next year. Baker asked if the planning staff is working on a plan for the Minnesota Wildlife Refuge and Recreation Area. Lambert said yes. MOTION: Vanderploeg moved to approve the minutes as printed. Richard seconded the motion and it passed 3-0. Joyer abstained. APPROVED MINUTES C EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS, REC. & NATURAL RESOURCES COMM. Jan. 7 , 1991 -2- IV. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS A. Request for Variance to Permit 20 hp Motor on Mitchell 1t Lake Refer to memo dated December 6, 1990 from Bob Lambert, Director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources. Lambert said that the City has had two requests for variances on the 10 horsepower limit on Mitchell Lake. The staff to the Board of Appeals asked that this issue be reviewed by the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission prior to going to the Board of Appeals. Both requests are for 20 horsepower motors on pontoon boats. The applications were both made by residents on Mitchell Lake and the boats were owned prior to the ordinance. The main reasons for limiting horsepower i on Mitchell Lake was speed and noise. Lambert added that a final decision would not be made by this commission, but they would be making a recommendation to the Board of Appeals. He feels there will be more requests for variances in the future. Staff is recommending that the variances be granted since the 20 horsepower motors were on the boats prior to the ordinance and a pontoon with a 20 horsepower motor will not cause a speeding problem. It is also recommended that the variances be granted for a five year period of time. If there are any complaints about the boats during this time, the variances could be removed. Other considerations should be that the variances apply to these boats only and would not apply to a new boat the resident may purchase. The variance would also not carry over to a new resident on the lake. Lambert introduced Kenneth Nicholls and Patrick Minton, the applicants for the variances, who were present at the meeting. Mr. Nicholls commented that he feels some general guidelines for variances should be set since there will most likely be more requests. Mr. Minton agreed. Vanderploeg asked if two 10 horsepower motors count as a 20 horsepower motor. Lambert said he feels this would be exceeding the horsepower limit, but he would check with the state. i` APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS, REC. & NATURAL RESOURCES COMM. Jan. 7, 1991 -3- - Richard asked how fast these boats can travel. Nicholls said that his pontoon weighs 2000 pounds and so would not travel fast enough to pull a water skiier. Richard asked if the boat could be moved with a 10 horsepower motor. Nicholls said there would not be a problem with speed, but he felt it would be difficult to handle the boat in the wind with a 10 horsepower motor although he has not actually tried. Karpinko asked if there have been any complaints about the request for a variance from the 10 horsepower limit from other residents. Nicholls said the ordinance was made public. a'f Joyer asked how many requests for variances are expected. i Lambert said this is not known, but he would expect additional requests. Nicholls noted that these two boats are the only resident Cpontoon boats on the lake. Richard said that since Mitchell Lake has public access, he questioned whether residence on the lake can be I , used as criteria to allow a variance. Lambert said that when the DNR sets a standard, both residents and non-residents are expected to be treated equally. Baker asked if the commission approves these requests, does the DNR also have to approve them. Lambert said he didn't think so. This is a City ordinance and the City has the right to grant variances. Baker asked about the limitations on Red Rock and Bryant Lake. Lambert said he has not heard any comments. Vanderploeg asked if the lake can be patrolled by the park ranger to ensure that the ordinance is being followed. Lambert said the park ranger does not have the authority to enforce ordinances by tickets. Richard asked what the choices are. Nicholls said he supports the ordinance because of speed. He would be concerned if jet skis were allowed on the lake. Minton added that everyone should work toward the spirit of the ordinance, but that variances should be granted with a good reason. APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS, REC. & NATURAL RESOURCES COMM. Jan. 7 , 1991 -4- Lambert cautioned against a lot of variances due to the inability to enforce the ordinance. Karpinko asked if the rationale to approve the variance could be that the boats cannot be controlled by a smaller motor. Lambert said he feels the rationale could be on a hardship basis that the resident purchased the boat for use on their particular lake and that it cannot be controlled by a smaller motor. Richard said he is concerned with the number of variances that will be requested if these are approved and also would be uncomfortable with granting a five year variance to a non-resident. Vanderploeg said that the variances being applied for now would run out at the end of 1995. He does not feel variances should be extended beyond that time. Richard suggested a one year variance. Lambert said this might be a good idea to see how many requests are received and what the reasons are. Nicholls asked if the variance would be renewable every year or if it would have to go through the Board of Appeals every time. Lambert said he would check with the City attorney. Nicholls suggested that if there were complaints, the variances would have to go through the Board of Appeals for approval. Joyer asked if a statement about the variances to the horsepower limit could be posted by the boat launch. Lambert said it wouldn't be a good idea to advertise (promote) people applying for variances to ordinances. He feels the more variances that are allowed, the more people will notice the boats on the lake above 10 horsepower and the more requests we will have. APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS, REC. & NATURAL RESOURCES- COMM. Jan. 7, 1991 -5- MOTION: Karpinko moved to recommend approval of the variance requests to use 20 horsepower motors on their two specific pontoon boats until 12/31/95 as requested by Mr. Nicholls and Mr. Minton on a hardship basis because the boats were purchased specifically for use on Mitchell Lake. Joyer seconded the motion and it passed 3-1. V. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS None -. ' VI. OLD BUSINESS A. PFD' s in Public Parks Refer to memo dated January 7 , 1991 from Julia McFadden, Recreation Supervisor for Aquatics and Fitness. Lambert said that it was decided a couple of years Cago not to allow PFD' s on public beaches in Eden Prairie. Since that time, Hennepin Parks adopted a policy on PFD' s and staff has had some complaints from parents about the current policy. MOTION: Richard moved to recommend approval of the Hennepin Parks PFD ordinance. Karpinko seconded the motion. McFadden noted that the ordinance states that PFD' s are not allowed outside the swimming beach area. Karpinko said he would like feedback from the lifeguards at the end of the season. Joyer asked which beaches would be included in the ordinance. Helling said it would be Round Lake and Riley Lake. Y The motion passed 4-0. VII. NEW BUSINESS A. Review of Changes in Fees for 1991 Refer to memo dated December 31, 1990 from Bob Lambert, � _ Director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources. r 5:- �. APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS, REC. & NATURAL RESOURCES COMM. Jan. 7, 1991 -6- Lambert said that the City adopts a fees resolution every year with the exception of programs fees. The memo from Dave Black outlines the rental rate changes for 1991 at the Community Center. Lambert outlined his suggestions for cash park fees in the memo included in the packets. These fees are based on land values and are compared to similar cities. Plymouth is the suburb most similar to Eden Prairie. Baker asked how the operating costs at the Community Center compared to income for 1990. Helling said the final report has not been received, but will be brought to the February meeting. Lambert felt there would be a deficit similar to last year. He said he would bring some graphs to a future meeting which were developed to show usage at the Community Center from 1982 to the present. The commission discussed ice time usage during the ' summer. Karpinko asked if it hurts to shut down the equipment for the summer. Lambert said no. Black noted that there is "prime time" ice in the Twin Cities that is completely sold from October thru March. He is trying to develop camps for summer morning hours. All the requests for ice time are between 5:30-9:00 p.m. from October thru March. MOTION: Joyer moved to recommend approval of the increase in cash park fees and rental rate changes at the Community Center. Richard seconded the motion and it passed 4-0. B. Volunteer Driver Policy Refer to memo dated January 3, 1991 from Sandy Werts, Recreation Supervisor. Werts said that her memo outlined the training requirements for volunteer drivers. It is currently required that a 12 hour first aid course is completed. She recommends that this be dropped down to a six hour course and that a defensive driving course be added, in addition to a review of the person' s driving record. 1. APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS, REC. & NATURAL RESOURCES COMM. Jan. 7 , 1991 -7- Werts added that the AARP/55 Alive program is offered nine times per year. The vo-tech will provide a modified program for the passenger assistance first aid course. Staff would also like Southwest Metro to assign a person for the senior program. They would also be required to complete first aid training. i Baker asked how many times the drivers have had to use what they had learned in the passenger assistsance and first aid course. Werts said that most drivers are driving as a service and are aware of the needs of the passengers. Lambert noted that basic first aid and how to help people into the van are still going to be included in the first aid course. He feels that it would be valuable to have a Southwest Metro driver for the senior program if they had the same training as the volunteers. Werts said that staff is asking for approval to review a Cdriving records and that the volunteers can begin driving after the defensive driving course is completed with I a six hour passenger assistance first aid course to follow. MOTION: Vanderploeg moved to recommend approval of the staff recommendation for training requirements for volunteer drivers in the senior transportation program. Richard seconded the motion and it passed 4-0. 1 C. Recommended Increase in Senior Transportation Donation Refer to memo dated January 3, 1991 from Sandy Werts, Recreation Supervisor. MOTION: Richard moved to recommend approval of the increase in the senior transportation donation from 251� to 504 or $1.00 for a round trip ride. Joyer seconded the motion and it passed 4-0. D. Review of Draft Regional Recreation Open Space Development Guide/Policy Plan from the Metropolitan Council 1 Refer to memo dated January 4, 1991 from Bob Lambert, Director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources. Lambert said that the Metropolitan Council has provided the City with a draft of the Regional Recreation Open Space Development Guide/Policy Plan. Written comments j must be submitted by February 5. ^tic APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS, REC. & NATURAL RESOURCES COMM. Jan. 7, 1991 -8- Lambert suggested that the City recommend that the Metropolitan Council review the possibility of designating the Chicago Northwestern corridor as either a permanent or temporary regional trail corridor from the Scott- Hennepin Trail , northeast to Hopkins and then east to Bryant Lake Park and also consider planning for a trail connection from Hyland-Bush-Anderson Lakes Regional Park Reserve northwest to Bryant Lake Park and from Bryant Lake Park northwest to the Luce Line Trail north of Lake Minnetonka. Baker asked what type of trail is recommended. Lambert said it would be a hiking and biking trail and could be used for cross country skiing. Baker said he does not see the need for this to be an asphalt trail. Richard asked when the railroad will be removed. Lambert said it should be done next spring. In addition, staff recommends the City Council go on record as supporting and encouraging the immediate development of Bryant Lake Park. It is felt that this park would have been developed years ago if it had remained an Eden Prairie community park. MOTION: Joyer moved to recommend approval of staff recommendations regarding the Regional Recreation Open Space Development Guide/Policy Plan. Karpinko seconded the motion and it passed 9-0. VIII. REPORTS OF COMMISSIONERS AND STAFF A. Reports of Commissioners 1. Status of Garden Club - Karon Joyer Joyer reported that she and Laurie Helling decided to contact several national organizations. After consideration, it was felt the letter should come from the City Council. The Arboretum does not get involved in organizing clubs and recommended choosing an organization after getting a core group together to establish �.. goals. • ,. .� !„ ... ...,(il_.. ...,;, ....,1 ,' '1 r . e:,> ,1 -':'7.t. ,r' [ e \"' •t , , ..r�f° ,."r.,/.i�/A{ �i. Hti :�,5.140+. �'N A%•,`54t`, �r APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS, REC. & NATURAL RESOURCES COMM. Jan. 7, 1991 -9- Joyer also contacted Lil Pearson of Federated Garden Clubs of Minnesota. The information has not been received to date. This group has a booth at the State Fair every year and is interested in starting a garden club in this area. They already have a list of interested people and Lil would be willing to come to a commission meeting to speak. Joyer spoke to Jean Bodine from the Minnetonka Garden Club. This group mainly designates areas to be planted and assigns people to do the planting. She was not able to reach the Edina Garden Club. Per Bob' s suggestion, Joyer also called Dave Patsche at the St. Paul Division of Parks and Recreation. He works mainly with seniors and suggested that Joyer contact Roseville. Joyer feels there are several options to consider. A garden program could be adopted or a club similar to the Federated Garden Club of Minnesota could be started. She sees Eden Prairie as a combination of both of these. The next step is to identify people who are interested in this type of program. Rod MacRae was present at the meeting and Lambert suggested that he could serve as staff liaison for the group. MacRae said he feels there is already a foundation for a garden club set up at the Outdoor Center since there is a wildflower program. He has a list of 25 people who are interested in a garden club. It was decided that the commission would meet with MacRae on Monday, January 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Outdoor Center to discuss the program. Vanderploeg asked if any locations in the City had been identified to begin planting. Lambert said the site across from the fire station near Round Lake Park has been discussed. -1 , _ .. .. . r.. ,., .n r. . . �\+':- .. . ... v S•-:�i ;}ta 7r�"•Llv ��1.'l,:w�.\.,?.. , .,:............ .. .-'_ .. ..nr.e n�..'an gran.nvr...,........._._�......�............... v�} APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS, REC. & NATURAL RESOURCES COMM. Jan. 7, 1991 -10- 2. Round Lake Scheduling Lambert said that Baker had received a complaint that both hockey rinks at Round Lake were being used for make-up games of broomball. This is against City policy and was a mistake that was made by a part-time person working at the rink. The issue has been addressed and, hopefully, won 't happen again. B. Reports of Manager of Recreation Services 1. Athletic Programs - Season Ending Reports a. Men ' s 3-Man Basketball - Fall 1990 b. Adult Tennis -- Summer 1990 C. Racquetball - Spring 1990 d. Wallyball - Spring 1990 e. Wallyball - Fall 1990 f. Touch Football - 1990 These are information items only. 2. Changeover to Canned Pap in Vending Machines Refer to memo dated January 2, 1991 from Dave Black, Community Center Operations Supervisor. Baker noted that Hopkins has a machine with juices only from Coca Cola. He feels this is a good idea, especially with skating in the mornings. Helling said there is already a juice machine on the second level, but it is not as available as the pop machine. Black said that Royal Coin Vending is being recommended as the vendor since they give the most profit, are the current supplier, are based in Eden Prairie and have given good service in the past. They are also able to provide both Pepsi and Coke products. Baker asked if the juice machine could be moved next to the pop machines and if the price could be the same as pop. Black said this would not �. be a problem to move the machine, but the juice would be more expensive than pop. °;. t r APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS, REC. & NATURAL RESOURCES COMM. Jan. 7 , 1991 MOTION: Richard moved to approve staff recommendation for Royal Coin Vending to provide canned pop at the Community Center. Karpinko seconded the motion and it passed 4-0. IX. REPORTS OF CITY COUNCIL A. City Manager' s Update - December 7 , 1990 B. City Manager' s Update - December 21, 1990 These are information items only. C. Council Meeting - December 18, 1990 There was no report. X. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Karpinko moved to adjourn the meeting at 9 : 30 p.m. C. Vanderploeg seconded the motion and it passed 4-0. Respectfully submitted, ;. Lois Boettcher Recording Secretary