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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 12/10/1973 1973 DECEMBER 10 MINUTES CITY OF EDEN PRAIRIE 1I AGENDA EDEN PRAIRIE PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MONDAY, December 10, 1973 Village Hall, 7:30p.n. ROLL CALL I. Minutes of November 26, 1973 Meeting. II. RECOMMENDATIONS AND REPORTS A. Agency Liaison Reports B. 1973-74 Skating Season Report C. 1974 Winter-Spring Recreation Program Report D. Village Department and Staff Reorganization E. 1974 LAWCON Application Status Report F. Crosstown Highway Report G. Olympic Hills Golf Club H. Smetana Lake Sector Study I. Development Proposals 1. B.F.I. 2. Kingdale Kennels/River Bluff ( J. Purgatory Creek Park Planning Study Report ` K. Ordinance Regulating the use of the Anderson Lakes "Nature Center " Area. III. DISCUSSIONS A. Eden Prairie's Lakes: Water Quality, Use and Classification - - Al Gebhard, Engineer for the Watershed Districts IV. ADJOURNMENT C i r MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PARK & RECREATION COMMISSION Monday, December 10, 1973 7:30 p.m. , Village Hall Members present: Chairman Marvin Erickson, Dean Holasek, fan Berkland, Frances Blacklock, Dick Anderson. Members absent: Bill Garens, Roger Boerqer, Paul Enblom, Terry Fields, Steve Eisch, Staff present: Marty jessen, Director of Parks and Recreation. Others present: Al Gebhard, Engineer for the Watershed Districts; Bill Bonner, Hustad Development Corporation; Bruce Brill, Kingdal.e Kennels. Meeting was called to order at 7:50 p.m. by Chairman Marvin Erickson. I. MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 26„ 3973 , MEETING. Approval of the minutes of the November 26, 1973, meeting was tabled. II. RECOMMENDATIONS AND REPORTS. A. Agency Liaison'Reports. None. B. 1973/74 Skating Season Report. jessen reported that he hoped to have the skating rinks opened on Friday, December 14th. The hours of operation this year will be as in the past, from 3-9 p.m. on school days and 9-9 on weekends and holidays. No action required. C. 1r74 WinterZSpring Recreation Program Report jessen reported that he is presently drawing up program descriptions for activities to be included in the 1974 Winter/Spring Recreation Program. Brian Wilhelm, Community Education Coordinator, is doing likewise with adult education and community education programs. jessen stated that this program should be ready to be mailed to the residents in early January. No action required. D. Village Department and Staff Reorganization. jessen pointed out the organi- zational charts on the bulletin board indicating the Village Manager's recom- mended Village Department and Staff reorganization. The Department with f which the Park and Recreation Commission will be involved is that of I Community Services. The Department of Community Services will consist of the following four divisions: Leisure Activities, Park Planning and- Development, Environmental Services, and Special Services and Facilities. Berkland questioned the placement of Park Maintenance in the. Department of Public Works as opposed to including it in the Department of Community Services. jessen stated that this had been an item of some debate amongst the Staff, and that it was the Manager's recommendation to put Park �. Maintenance in Public Works at this time, at least until the Village is in the business of managing some of the special services, which will. also Park & Recreation Commission Minutes December 10, 1973 Page 2 require maintenance sErvice. These would include the Rock Isle Ranch at Bryant Lake as well as the potential golf course sites. Several of the Commissioners expressed concern for the priority of Park Maintenance within the Department of Public Works. Outside of this reservation, the . general consensus of the Commission was favorable toward the Staff and Department reorganization. No action required. E. 1974 LAWCON Application Status Report: Jessen stated that the LAWCON Applications had been approved and ranked in the priorities as indicated at the last meeting. Anderson Lakes has been approved for $950,000 in funding by the Metropolitan Council out of the Regional Park Account. Staring Lake has been ranked in 9th priority for the Local Park Projects and, as such, will not receive any grant assistance in 1974. A preliminary meeting of those agencies receiving grants in 1974 and 1975 was held with the State Planning Agency and the specific requirements for completing the grant applications were spelled out. Jessen stated that he would proceed to complete all of the documentation required for the Anderson Lakes Project in hopes of receiving final Federal grant approval. early in 1974. No action required. F. Crosstown Highway Report. Jessen indicated that he had copies of a pre- liminary analysis of the impact of the Crosstown on Bryant Lake Park. However, some of the other input into the review of this project has not been completed and he requested that it be tabled until the next meeting. G. Olympic Hills Golf Club. Jessen reported that the Council# at its meeting on November 27th had requested that the Staff prepare a preliminary report olt the financial possibilities for acquiring the Olympic Hills Golf Club. He indicated that a feasibility study would be necessary in order to determine the advisability of converting this course to a municipal course. In other words, information as to the "playability" of the course by the public needed to be provided. At this time, a consultant cannot be hired for this purpose so the Staff is trying to solicit contributions from land owners in the vicinity of the Club who stand to benefit were it to become a municipal course. No action required. H. Smetana Lake Sector Study. This item was tabled until the next meeting. I. Development Proposals_. 1 Browning Ferriss Industries. Jessen stated that the reason this item was placed on the agenda after the action the Commission took at the last meeting was because some modifications have been made in the plan responding to the comments raised about the final placement of the overlook river view parkway and also some modification in building placement is being considered. Bill Bonner, representing Hustad Development Corp. , presented the BFI P.U.D. plan. The Hustad company is working in a "joint venture" with BFi to plan the development of this area as Hustad owns a great majority of the land to the east of the landfill site. Bonner stated that BFI is a Houston-based company Park & Recreation Commission Minutes December 10, 1973 Page 3 and is the largest refuse company in the country. They own 240 acres C in Eden Prairie at the landfill site . Bonnerindicated that the Hustad company was interested in working with BF1 and felt that BFI was interested in doing a good job in Eden Prairie so that this would serve as a model project for other landfill sites that they own and are working on around the country. The site plan as presented to the Commission shows a right of way for the Riverview Parkway of 150 ft. In addition, a 50 ft. se tback to the closest building is indicated on the plan. The revised site plan shows the Riverview Parkway alignment pulled back from the edge of the bluff. Four building sites are anticipated in the initial phase of this plan. The perimeter of the industrial site would be screened with a 12 ft. high berm with plantings on the berm to provide additional screening. Blacklock asked about the stability of the bluffs as far as placing a road near the edge. Bonner responded that they felt the bluffs were quite stable, provided we stay on top of the bluffs rather than attempt to cut into them. He indicated that they were not proposing the immediate construction of the Riverview Parkway but were merely leaving this option open to the,Village for construction at a later date. Anderson asked about the Hustad Corp.'s plans for the bluffs themselves. Bonner indicated that it has always been their intention to dedicate everything from the top of the bluff down to the Minnesota River, and that this is also the plan which BFI inherited when they purchased the landfill site from the Waste Management people. Bonner indicated +' that they see old Riverview Road being turned over to pedestrian and equestrian uses as opposed to automobile traffic. Blacklock asked about the Commission's concern for indoor storage on the site. Bonner stated that Ed Drury, a BFI representative in Minnesota, felt that this was a difficult situation, primarily because of accidents in maneuvering trucks in such close quarters and scheduling problems of getting trucks in and out of the building in a reasonable manner. Bonner stated that BFI presently has some indoor storage at their site In Savage and that they have found it unmanageable from the standpoint of maneuverability. Erickson asked zbout the hours of operation and if this might cause a tremendous traffic overload in the Village. Bonner stated that their hours of leaving and arriving at this site would be pretty spread out over the day. Some of the trucks will start to leave as early as 3 a:m. and others will leave as late as 10 a.m. , and then will also arrive back at the site in staggered shifts. F Park & Recreation Commission Minutes " December 10, 1973 Page 4 CM/Blacklock, S/Erickson that the Park and Recreation Commission recommend to the Planning Commission and Council approval of the BF1 plan as revised, including the outdoor storage 12 ft. high berming around the area and the additional setback provided for the proposed Riverview Parkway. Motion carried unanimously. 2. Kingdale Kennels/River Bluff Discussion. Jessen stated that he appeared at a Lower Minnesota River Watershed District meeting on November 28, 1973, to present the Village's situation as it relates to river bluff protection and the Kingdale Kennel development proposal. The Board of Managers of the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District at that time indicated a willingness to participate in land acquisition in this area. Their policy is to pay 50% of the cost for land lying within their district boundaries. One uncertainty in this area is the fact that the district boundary is arbitrary in this stretch of the river bluffs and falls on the section line, which is only halfway up the hill between Riverview Road and 169. Because this is the district boundary line in this location, it is possible that the district would not participate in the acquisition of all of the land to be acquired between Riverview and 169. Jessen said that there are approximately 42 acres between Riverview Road and 169. All of the land lying east of these 42 acres to Dr. Brant's land is planned for open space dedication through the BFI P.U.D. and Hustad Development Corp. planning. Jessen said that the Village Assessor had estimated the value of this land at about $65 ,000 total. Jessen said that in light of what Brill has agreed to pay for the land he wishes r, to purchase that this may be a low estimate and that he would estimate the cost to acquire this property at somewhere in the neighborhood of $120,000. Jessen stated that he had talked to a representative of the Minnesota Water Resources Board about the boundaries of the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District. The Water Resources Board representative stated that the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District was the first such district in the state and at the time of their initial petition, the land petitioned to be included in the district went to the section line rather than to the actual watershed boundary. As a result, the district was established to that section line. He indicated that the Water Resources Board does not establish districts based on this kind of information any longer. They now require that a petition to establish a district include all of the land within the actual watershed. The Village could institute action to correct this problem in conjunction with they watershed district. Eden Prairie could petition the watershed district to in turn petition the Minnesota Water Resources Board for a boundary change to correct the discrepancy in actual watershed boundary which presently exists. Park & Recreation Commission Minutes December 10, 1973 Page 5 jessen indicated that the acquisition of this land for public open space purposes would be a wise decision in the long run. However, money for this purpose does not exist at this 'point in the Village's acquisition planning. The watershed district policy is to fund only 50% of land acquisition costs. Thus , the Village would have to put up some money for this purpose. The options available to the Village are as follows: 1 . Approve the project as presented by Kingdale Kennels. 2. Reject the project and move to acquire the land, consistent .with the open space planning for the Village. 3 . Reject the project and not take any steps to acquire the land. Brill stated that he felt he has the only good buildable spot in this section of the bluffs and because of its proximity to 169 and its related noise, this is not as critical an open space area as some of the other portions of the bluffs. Blacklock asked about the potential traffic problem, getting off of 169, onto Riverview Road to get to the kennel. Brill responded by acknowledging a potential problem but stated that they felt it was not going to adversely affect their business. A lengthy discussion followed concerning the merits of spending some- where between $60-90,000 of Village money for land acquisition in this area as opposed to spending this money were it available for park development at this time. M/Anderson, S/Blacklock that the Park & Recreation Commission recommend to the Council that the Village petition the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District to in turn petition the State Water Resources Board to correct the district boundaries to reflect the watershed boundaries rather than the arbitrary line which presently exists. Motion carried unanimously. M/Anderson, S/Blacklock that in light of BFI's and Hustad Development Corp. 's planning to dedicate the bluffs to the Village that these small parcels lying west of the BFI property and between 169 and Riverview Road be acquired : as part of an overall bluff protection program con- sistent with the Village's Comprehensive Guide Plan and Open Space System Concept with the understanding that the watershed district will pay one-half of the cost of land acquisition within their boundaries. Motion failed 2-3. M/Erickson, S/Berkland that the Park & Recreation Commission recom- mend approval of the Kingdale Kennels plan in light of the fact that the Village presently does not have money available for land acquisition Cin this area. i Park & Recreation Commission Minutes December 10, 1973 Page 6 Discussion followed in which Anderson pointed out the adverse precedent for BPI and Hustad if development were allowed in a portion of the bluffs area. M/Holasek, S/Berkland to amend the motion to state that this land and the future development by Kingdale Kennels should be donated to the Village after a stipulated period of time with Mr. Brill to receive a real estate tax advantage in lieu of a cash payment. The amend- ment passed 3-1 with 1 abstention. The vote on the amended motion also passed by 3-1 , 1 abstaining. Anderson stated that he felt the Park •& Recreation Commission was charged with making recommendations to the Council on the overall long range plans for the Village and should not have made this decision which he feels will jeopardize the bluffs area for the possible cost of only $60,000. Berkland asked if information could be prepared including statements about cost savings for items such as the future maintenance and development of Riverview Road and if the possibility of changing this road for use as a pedestrian, bike, and equestrian area as opposed to an automobile carrier could be analyzed in a total cost benefit analysis. jessen indicated that this could be done but not within the time frame given for action on this project. J. Purgatory Creek Park Planning Study Report. Jessen stated that letters of invitation to the Planning Seminar had gone out to approximately 75 people, including residents , land holders, developers, Council members, Park & Recreation commissioners, watershed district Board of Managers, State Representatives and Senators, etc. jessen asked if some of the commissioners would assist in calling those invited to the meeting so that we could follow up and insure a good turnout to the meeting. No action required. K. Ordinance Regulating the Use of Anderson Lakes "Nature Center" Area. jessen reported that the Council at a recent meeting had discussed the need for an ordinance to regulate the use of this area in light of uses presently occurring which are inconsistent with the nature center and wildlife management plan. The Village Attorney, Harlan Perbix, has drafted a preliminary ordinance to this effect and the Park & Recreation Commission's input is being sought. Detailed discussion of this proposed ordinance will occur at the next meeting. III. DISCUSSIONS. A. Eden Prairie's Lakes: Water Quality Use, and Classification-- ( Al Gebhard, Engineer for thewatershed districts. Al Gebhard stated that his purpose in appearing at the Commission meeting was to provide infor- mation to the Commission as to the watershed district's action on lakes Park & Recreation Commission Minutes December 10, 1973 Page 7 in the Village and hesla�es based get uon project d Village uset for the watershedricts as to ' classification of Gebhard stated that the watershed districts inventoried ieds to Bess the lake Eden Prairie in 1971 and 1972. The inventory aging process in the various lakes. This process is called eutrophicatilon and is the natural succession from lakes to marshes. The districts will relates,to the urbanization process.in in then compare the lake aging as it the Village. Also included in the inventory was an attempt to identify obvious lake problems. The algae corlant and water transparency were measured in the inventory as well as the various chemical concentrations within the lakes, such as phosphorous, nitrogen, Gebhard stated re is a wide difference in lake quality in Eden Prairie. Lake is the best lake that Barr Engineering has ever inventoried and is the best lake in this part of the Metropolitan Area. On the other hand, ' Rice Marsh Lake on the western border Eden Prairie is the worst lake Birch Island Lake also shows that Barr Engineering has ever inventoried. relatively good water quality, as well as North Anderson and Staring Lake. On the other hand, Southwest Anderson and Duck Lakes both show relatively y bad water quality. Gebhard distributed a summary sheet dealing with the inventory of water quality of the various lakes within the Village. Another step in the watershed district's an of lake water quality is to establish levels of quality as a basis for activity and use planning for the lakes. Three levels of lake quality have been determined. These are: ' Level 1, for activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving, and swimming. Level 2, for activities such as water skiing, canoeing, motor boating, and sailing. Level 3 , for activities such as fishing. A summary sheet showing the suitability of Eden Prairmultie lakese use for recce dona ofl use was distributed. Gebhard indicated that thethese lakes might mean compromising the lake so that it is neither best for Level 1 or Level 2 activities but Iwould adequately serve both activities. He indicated t , lake s e planning is inconsistent with the classification as indicated the a are two choices open to the Village. These are: 1. Lake improvement program, or 2 . Change in the lake use plan. Gebhard indicated that the State of Minnesota has classified all lakes except those in incorporated areas . The Shoreline Management Act recently passed by the State Legislature requires that municipalities classify lakes within their boundaries. The State Department of Natural municipalities can presently developing rules and regulations by which accomplish this task. BeRile eof e wouldtively small size of most probab y be the o ly lake f the lakes within the Village, Y y i Park & Recreation Commission Minutes .. December 10, 1973 Page 8 / classified as a multiple use lake under the State's classification system. All of the rest of the lakes would be "natural environment lakes". Gebhard indicated that the Department of Natural Resources has the responsibility for overall management of the water resources of the-state and as such, any action which affects the water resources of the state requires a review and approval by the Department of Natural Resources. These actions could include lake improvement projects, lake.augmentation projects, etc. _ A discussion of the classification of the various lakes in the Village followed. Specifics from this discussion included the following comments. Anderson asked what could be done with a lake like Mitchell, which is too shallow for many kinds of uses. Gebhard said that it was the watershed district's feeling that this lake could be used only for things such as canoeing and as an amenity to the land uses adjacent to the water. Gebhard said that it would appear that the Village's nature center concept for the Anderson Lakes is consistent with the classification of that lake as identified by the watershed district. Holasek asked if changes in lake level could affect water quality. He stated that his experience with Bryant Lake was such that when it used to flood periodically, the water quality seemed to be much better, but now because of residential construction adjacent to the lake and the necessity of keeping.the water level stable, the water quality seems to have diminished substantially. Gebhard agreed that water level could have an effect on water quality as it would dilute the concentration ot,.chemicals, etc. and would also provide for a washing out of the lake. Blacklock•asked if the Freshwater Biological Institute on Lake Minnetonka might provide some assistance in lake research. Gebhard stated that they will provide some assistance in this effort as they will need different kinds of lakes for study. However, it is Gebhard's feeling that the watershed districts are established solely for the purpose of water resource manage- ment and as such, they are in a much better position to provide an ongoing analysis of water quality and the system implementation program of lake improvement. The State of Minnesota has a lake improvement grant program, Hennepin County has a lake improvement grant program, and the watershed districts also have funds for these kinds of projects. County lake improve- ment funds can be used only for implementation programs and not for planning. Watershed district monies and State lake improvement monies can also be used for planning in the lake improvement area. jessen thanked Gebhard for appearing at the meetingand presenting this very informative report. He indicated that in the Village Capital Improve- ment program which the staff is presently working on, he has included Park & Recreation Commission Minutes December 10, 1973 Page 9 monies. for additional detailed lake studies, such as the one presently being undertaken at Bryant Lake. The information that the watershed districts have gathered to date is based on initial data collection and they have indicated the need to have detailed data prior to developing any lake improvement programs. The districts primarily conduct the _ preliminary data collection on their own but always require cooperative projects to get into the detailed kinds of studies necessary to develop lake improvement programs. The Village will continue to work with the watershed districts in analyzing lake water quality and developing appropriate lake use plans for the various classifications of water quality, a IV. ADTOURNMENT. M/Holasek, S/Anderson that the meeting be adjourned. " Motion carried unanimously. . W,,