HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 01/04/2010APPROVED MINUTES
PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION
MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2010 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER
Council Chambers
8080 Mitchell Road
COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Geri Napuck, Chair; Jeffrey Gerst, Vice-Chair; Commissioners; Tom Bierman, Hutch Coburn, Lee Elliott-Stoering, Derek Gunderson and Joan Oko
COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: No one
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Pranay Rao
COMMISSION STAFF PRESENT: Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director
Stu Fox, Parks and Natural Resources Manager
Laurie Obiazor, Recreation Services Manager
RECORDING SECRETARY: Carol Pelzel
ROLL CALL/INTRODUCTIONS
The meeting was called to order by Chair Napuck at 7:04 p.m.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Motion: Gunderson moved, seconded by Oko, to approve the agenda as published. The motion carried, 7-0.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES – DECEMBER 7, 2009Motion: Gerst moved, Eliott-Stoering seconded, to approve the December 7, 2009 Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission meeting minutes
as presented. The motion carried, 6-0-1 with Coburn abstaining because of absence from that meeting.
REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION
REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION
Fox reported the request for a variance for flags at Purgatory Creek Park was unanimously approved by the Planning Commission at their December 14 meeting.
PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION
OLD BUSINESS
A. BUDGET UPDATE
Lotthammer explained at the last Commission meeting staff reported the City’s budget was adopted by the City Council with the City Manager to bring back to the January 19 meeting suggestions
for cost savings of approximately $250,000. At this time, those savings have not been identified. Lotthammer said he believes the savings will come through internal cuts and not from
program reductions. Staff is waiting for the 2009 budget results before making any suggestions on possible savings. Some of the savings could come from realization of more revenue than
budgeted or less expenses than budgeted in 2009. Lotthammer said if any of the suggested savings directly impact service levels of the Parks Department he will ask that the Parks Commission
be given an opportunity to review those reductions.
B. MAC LEASE UPDATE
Lotthammer reported there will be a meeting this Thursday to discuss MAC zoning issues and the next phase of acquisition of Flying Cloud expansion acreage. Lotthammer said there will
probably be some discussion regarding the City lease of land at Flying Cloud. If they do come to an agreement, MAC does not have the ability to follow through in signing that agreement
until the end of March making it difficult to start the project this year. Staff has held back on any detailed plans until they get a signed lease. They have only worked on conceptual
designs thus far. It will take some time to do construction design and to go through the bidding process.
In response to a question from Bierman, Lotthammer explained the meeting on Thursday is not a public meeting. The meeting is to discuss zoning at the airport. Bierman asked if they are
talking about a one-year lease or a longer lease. Lotthammer said previously the lease was on a year-to-year basis. He said they will probably be looking at a three-year lease with a
year-to-year notification period to end the lease by either party. MAC has indicated they will honor what they have indicated in the past and something will be in place soon.
Oko asked if there is anything this Commission can do to get this lease in place. Lotthammer responded not at this point. Napuck asked that the Commission be informed of the results
of this meeting at the Commission’s next meeting and if there is anything the Commission can do to get the process moving forward.
NEW BUSINESS
CUMMINS HOUSE LEASE
Lotthammer explained staff has been working with the Eden Prairie Historical Society to develop a lease agreement intended to clarify the relationship between the City and the Historical
Society. The lease is intended to give the Historical Society access to the Cummins House for a ten-year period to restore the property and provide programs to interpret the house and
increase visitation to the site. The Historical Society would like to play a more active role with the Cummins House from a program perspective. Lotthammer said they would like to partner
with the City to make sure costs are kept as low as possible through their volunteer efforts, etc. Staff is working on a document to define the terms of the lease. Lotthammer further
explained a lot of changes and additions would have to be made to the facility if an alternative use were brought in. The Historical Society has a donor who indicated if they are certain
or reasonably assured that the house stays open for public use they would be willing to contribute money for the upgrade of the facility. They may also look at some grants and it is
important to have matching funds and those funds could be used to upgrade the facility to make it more usable. Lotthammer said the Historical Society will be taking the lead role in
operating this facility with the City being a supporting role.
Oko asked if the site has been restored after the recent airplane crash. Lotthammer responded the hazardous waste issues have been taken care of. Fox stated the porch has been replaced
as well as some exterior surface bricks. The portico and door still need to be painted. The site has been cleaned up and the hole filled. The damaged tree was also removed and they
will need to do some planting. Oko said when they talked about bringing water to the fields in that area and the off-leash dog park they also discussed bringing water to the Cummins
Grill house. She asked if this is still a possibility. Fox explained the water and sewer stub was installed to the property line as part of the County project. It would be the City’s
responsibility to bring the water from the stub end to the building. If they wanted to do this, they would have to find some funding to bring sewer and water up to the building. Right
now there is a septic system and well. Oko asked if this was one of the issues when they talked about adaptive issues for this facility. Fox responded there was some concern if an adaptive
use required more water service the well would not be adequate. There is nothing that says sewer and water has to be installed.
Napuck said this sounds like a good idea and would be worth pursuing. Lotthammer explained staff anticipates an agreement being presented to the City Council for consideration in early
2010.
RILEY PROPERTY PURCHASE
Lotthammer explained to satisfy the land mitigation requirements resulting from the Pioneer Trail road project, staff has identified a property that is available for purchase, meets
DNR guidelines for replacement and satisfies the required mitigation value. Lotthammer displayed a map of the area being considered for purchase located at 9291 Riley Lake Road. If the
County were to acquire this piece of property as part of mitigation they would satisfy the requirement for mitigation and not look for other properties. The City’s Master Plan does not
call for another neighborhood park and to find five acres of land to build a neighborhood park would be extremely difficult. The County would acquire the property and the City Council
would have to grant the authority to the County to purchase the property on behalf of the City.
Elliott-Stoering said the City had previously looked at this property and at that time thought it would be a good addition to the City but funds were not available. Coburn asked if any
additional funds would be required for demolition. Lotthammer responded the County demolished the house on the property last summer. He further explained the long-term benefit could
be some parking configuration and that is something that can be done in the future. If funding does come available the City would look at how they would use this land so users would
not have to cross private property. This piece of property is very close to the boat launch as well as the beach.
Bierman said the last time the Commission considered this they stated a maximum purchase price and this recommendation does not do that. Lotthammer said they do have a maximum purchase
price in mind but do not want to make it public. Fifty percent of the cost will be borne by the County and 50 percent by the road project. Staff would want the top end number not to
exceed a certain number to give the County the ability to negotiate. The County has had an appraisal and there is a willing seller. They know what the seller has the property on the
market for and they feel the County would be able to negotiate a fair and just price. The County appraisal came in at $380,000.
Motion: Bierman moved, Oko seconded, to recommend the City Council acquire the private property located at 9291 Riley Lake Road which is contiguous to Riley Lake Park. The motion carried,
7-0.
REPORTS OF STAFF
COMMUNITY CENTER MANAGER
RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER
Obiazor briefly reviewed the various activities occurring within the City through the Parks and Recreation Department including:
FYI: Family Pizza Bingo Night
FYI: Rock on Ice
FYI: Sweetheart Dance
FYI: Senior Center Valentine Breakfast
FYI: “The Mousetrap” by Eden Prairie Players
Napuck asked if staff has ever considered holding mother/son activities. Obiazor said they will look into activities.
PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER
2010 Projects Overview
Lotthammer briefly reviewed the Parks and Recreation Department 2010-11 Work Plan explaining there are new commitments under all categories as well as on-going commitments that are tracked.
The on-going commitments rarely change. He indicated this Plan is also an accountability report and shows what the Department has done and is also used as a communication and planning
tool. Certain items will come back to this Commission for further review or approval throughout the year.
Fox presented an overview of the Capital Improvement Projects scheduled in 2010. He also provided the Commission with an overview of park construction projects for 2010 explaining each
year staff plans park construction and reconstruction projects based on needs regarding the maintenance and upkeep of the park system infrastructure. Funding for the projects come from
annual budget requests as well as from the six-year Capital Improvement Plan. Some additional funding sources for funding projects are various types of grants, matching donations from
private individuals or athletic associations or the 2005 Bond Referendum.
Napuck questioned the coating used on the trails at Purgatory Creek Park that were recently resurfaced. Fox explained staff looks at trail surfaces and how they are maintained especially
since they plow a lot of the trails. The surfaces rolled on do not have the shelf life or durability chip sealers have. However, the chip sealers do not give a smooth surface. Fox said
there are a number of different things they look at when they do the resurfacing and they are also in contact with other park systems. There are more expensive treatments available but
they don’t have the durability. They have not yet found the perfect treatment.
PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR
2010 PRNR Work Plan
Lotthammer reported the Work Plan now includes the items mentioned at the last Commission meeting. A joint meeting is scheduled with the Arts and Culture Commission for Monday, May 10
and a joint meeting with the Conservation Commission on August 2.
NEXT MEETING
The next regular meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission is scheduled for Monday, February 1, 2010.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion: Gerst moved, seconded by Elliott-Stoering to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES
January 4, 2010
Page 2
APPROVED MINUTES
PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION
MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2010 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER
Council Chambers
8080 Mitchell Road
COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Geri Napuck, Chair; Jeffrey Gerst, Vice-Chair;
Commissioners; Tom Bierman, Hutch Coburn,
Lee Elliott-Stoering, Derek Gunderson and Joan
Oko
COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: No one
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Pranay Rao
COMMISSION STAFF PRESENT: Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director
Stu Fox, Parks and Natural Resources Manager
Laurie Obiazor, Recreation Services Manager
RECORDING SECRETARY: Carol Pelzel
I. ROLL CALL/INTRODUCTIONS
The meeting was called to order by Chair Napuck at 7:04 p.m.
II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Motion: Gunderson moved, seconded by Oko, to approve the agenda as published. The
motion carried, 7-0.
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – DECEMBER 7, 2009
Motion: Gerst moved, Eliott-Stoering seconded, to approve the December 7, 2009
Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission meeting minutes as presented. The
motion carried, 6-0-1 with Coburn abstaining because of absence from that meeting.
IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION
V. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION
Fox reported the request for a variance for flags at Purgatory Creek Park was unanimously
approved by the Planning Commission at their December 14 meeting.
VI. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION
PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES
January 4, 2010
Page 2
VII. OLD BUSINESS
A. BUDGET UPDATE
Lotthammer explained at the last Commission meeting staff reported the City’s
budget was adopted by the City Council with the City Manager to bring back to
the January 19 meeting suggestions for cost savings of approximately $250,000.
At this time, those savings have not been identified. Lotthammer said he believes
the savings will come through internal cuts and not from program reductions. Staff
is waiting for the 2009 budget results before making any suggestions on possible
savings. Some of the savings could come from realization of more revenue than
budgeted or less expenses than budgeted in 2009. Lotthammer said if any of the
suggested savings directly impact service levels of the Parks Department he will
ask that the Parks Commission be given an opportunity to review those reductions.
B. MAC LEASE UPDATE
Lotthammer reported there will be a meeting this Thursday to discuss MAC zoning
issues and the next phase of acquisition of Flying Cloud expansion acreage.
Lotthammer said there will probably be some discussion regarding the City lease of
land at Flying Cloud. If they do come to an agreement, MAC does not have the
ability to follow through in signing that agreement until the end of March making it
difficult to start the project this year. Staff has held back on any detailed plans until
they get a signed lease. They have only worked on conceptual designs thus far. It
will take some time to do construction design and to go through the bidding
process.
In response to a question from Bierman, Lotthammer explained the meeting on
Thursday is not a public meeting. The meeting is to discuss zoning at the airport.
Bierman asked if they are talking about a one-year lease or a longer lease.
Lotthammer said previously the lease was on a year-to-year basis. He said they will
probably be looking at a three-year lease with a year-to-year notification period to
end the lease by either party. MAC has indicated they will honor what they have
indicated in the past and something will be in place soon.
Oko asked if there is anything this Commission can do to get this lease in place.
Lotthammer responded not at this point. Napuck asked that the Commission be
informed of the results of this meeting at the Commission’s next meeting and if
there is anything the Commission can do to get the process moving forward.
VIII. NEW BUSINESS
A. CUMMINS HOUSE LEASE
Lotthammer explained staff has been working with the Eden Prairie Historical
Society to develop a lease agreement intended to clarify the relationship between
PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES
January 4, 2010
Page 3
the City and the Historical Society. The lease is intended to give the Historical
Society access to the Cummins House for a ten-year period to restore the property
and provide programs to interpret the house and increase visitation to the site. The
Historical Society would like to play a more active role with the Cummins House
from a program perspective. Lotthammer said they would like to partner with the
City to make sure costs are kept as low as possible through their volunteer efforts,
etc. Staff is working on a document to define the terms of the lease. Lotthammer
further explained a lot of changes and additions would have to be made to the
facility if an alternative use were brought in. The Historical Society has a donor
who indicated if they are certain or reasonably assured that the house stays open
for public use they would be willing to contribute money for the upgrade of the
facility. They may also look at some grants and it is important to have matching
funds and those funds could be used to upgrade the facility to make it more usable.
Lotthammer said the Historical Society will be taking the lead role in operating this
facility with the City being a supporting role.
Oko asked if the site has been restored after the recent airplane crash. Lotthammer
responded the hazardous waste issues have been taken care of. Fox stated the
porch has been replaced as well as some exterior surface bricks. The portico and
door still need to be painted. The site has been cleaned up and the hole filled. The
damaged tree was also removed and they will need to do some planting. Oko said
when they talked about bringing water to the fields in that area and the off-leash
dog park they also discussed bringing water to the Cummins Grill house. She
asked if this is still a possibility. Fox explained the water and sewer stub was
installed to the property line as part of the County project. It would be the City’s
responsibility to bring the water from the stub end to the building. If they wanted
to do this, they would have to find some funding to bring sewer and water up to
the building. Right now there is a septic system and well. Oko asked if this was
one of the issues when they talked about adaptive issues for this facility. Fox
responded there was some concern if an adaptive use required more water service
the well would not be adequate. There is nothing that says sewer and water has to
be installed.
Napuck said this sounds like a good idea and would be worth pursuing.
Lotthammer explained staff anticipates an agreement being presented to the City
Council for consideration in early 2010.
B. RILEY PROPERTY PURCHASE
Lotthammer explained to satisfy the land mitigation requirements resulting from
the Pioneer Trail road project, staff has identified a property that is available for
purchase, meets DNR guidelines for replacement and satisfies the required
mitigation value. Lotthammer displayed a map of the area being considered for
purchase located at 9291 Riley Lake Road. If the County were to acquire this
piece of property as part of mitigation they would satisfy the requirement for
mitigation and not look for other properties. The City’s Master Plan does not call
PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES
January 4, 2010
Page 4
for another neighborhood park and to find five acres of land to build a
neighborhood park would be extremely difficult. The County would acquire the
property and the City Council would have to grant the authority to the County to
purchase the property on behalf of the City.
Elliott-Stoering said the City had previously looked at this property and at that
time thought it would be a good addition to the City but funds were not available.
Coburn asked if any additional funds would be required for demolition.
Lotthammer responded the County demolished the house on the property last
summer. He further explained the long-term benefit could be some parking
configuration and that is something that can be done in the future. If funding does
come available the City would look at how they would use this land so users
would not have to cross private property. This piece of property is very close to
the boat launch as well as the beach.
Bierman said the last time the Commission considered this they stated a maximum
purchase price and this recommendation does not do that. Lotthammer said they
do have a maximum purchase price in mind but do not want to make it public.
Fifty percent of the cost will be borne by the County and 50 percent by the road
project. Staff would want the top end number not to exceed a certain number to
give the County the ability to negotiate. The County has had an appraisal and there
is a willing seller. They know what the seller has the property on the market for
and they feel the County would be able to negotiate a fair and just price. The
County appraisal came in at $380,000.
Motion: Bierman moved, Oko seconded, to recommend the City Council acquire
the private property located at 9291 Riley Lake Road which is contiguous to Riley
Lake Park. The motion carried, 7-0.
IX. REPORTS OF STAFF
A. COMMUNITY CENTER MANAGER
B. RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER
Obiazor briefly reviewed the various activities occurring within the City through
the Parks and Recreation Department including:
FYI: Family Pizza Bingo Night
FYI: Rock on Ice
FYI: Sweetheart Dance
FYI: Senior Center Valentine Breakfast
FYI: “The Mousetrap” by Eden Prairie Players
Napuck asked if staff has ever considered holding mother/son activities. Obiazor
said they will look into activities.
PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES
January 4, 2010
Page 5
C. PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER
1. 2010 Projects Overview
Lotthammer briefly reviewed the Parks and Recreation Department 2010-
11 Work Plan explaining there are new commitments under all categories
as well as on-going commitments that are tracked. The on-going
commitments rarely change. He indicated this Plan is also an accountability
report and shows what the Department has done and is also used as a
communication and planning tool. Certain items will come back to this
Commission for further review or approval throughout the year.
Fox presented an overview of the Capital Improvement Projects scheduled
in 2010. He also provided the Commission with an overview of park
construction projects for 2010 explaining each year staff plans park
construction and reconstruction projects based on needs regarding the
maintenance and upkeep of the park system infrastructure. Funding for the
projects come from annual budget requests as well as from the six-year
Capital Improvement Plan. Some additional funding sources for funding
projects are various types of grants, matching donations from private
individuals or athletic associations or the 2005 Bond Referendum.
Napuck questioned the coating used on the trails at Purgatory Creek Park
that were recently resurfaced. Fox explained staff looks at trail surfaces and
how they are maintained especially since they plow a lot of the trails. The
surfaces rolled on do not have the shelf life or durability chip sealers have.
However, the chip sealers do not give a smooth surface. Fox said there are
a number of different things they look at when they do the resurfacing and
they are also in contact with other park systems. There are more expensive
treatments available but they don’t have the durability. They have not yet
found the perfect treatment.
D. PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR
1. 2010 PRNR Work Plan
Lotthammer reported the Work Plan now includes the items mentioned at
the last Commission meeting. A joint meeting is scheduled with the Arts
and Culture Commission for Monday, May 10 and a joint meeting with the
Conservation Commission on August 2.
X. NEXT MEETING
The next regular meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission is
scheduled for Monday, February 1, 2010.
PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES
January 4, 2010
Page 6
X. ADJOURNMENT
Motion: Gerst moved, seconded by Elliott-Stoering to adjourn the meeting. The meeting
was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
APPROVED MINUTES
PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION
MONDAY,JANUARY 4, 2010 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER
Council Chambers
8080 Mitchell Road
COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Geri Napuck, Chair; Jeffrey Gerst, Vice-Chair;
Commissioners; Tom Bierman, Hutch Coburn,
Lee Elliott-S toering, Derek Gunderson and Joan
Oko
COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: No one
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Pranay Rao
COMMISSION STAFF PRESENT: Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director
Stu Fox, Parks and Natural Resources Manager
Laurie Obiazor, Recreation Services Manager
RECORDING SECRETARY: Carol Pelzel
I. ROLL CALLANTRODUCTIONS
The meeting was called to order by Chair Napuck at 7:04 p.m.
II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Motion: Gunderson moved, seconded by Oko, to approve the agenda as published. The
motion carried, 7-0.
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —DECEMBER 7, 2009
Motion: Gerst moved, Eliott-Stoering seconded, to approve the December 7, 2009
Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission meeting minutes as presented. The
motion carried, 6-0-1 with Coburn abstaining because of absence from that meeting.
IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION
V. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION
Fox reported the request for a variance for flags at Purgatory Creek Park was unanimously
approved by the Planning Commission at their December 14 meeting.
VI. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION
VII. OLD BUSINESS
PARKS,RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES
January 4, 2010
Page 2
A. BUDGET UPDATE
Lotthammer explained at the last Commission meeting staff reported the City's
budget was adopted by the City Council with the City Manager to bring back to
the January 19 meeting suggestions for cost savings of approximately $250,000.
At this time, those savings have not been identified. Lotthammer said he believes
the savings will come through internal cuts and not from program reductions.
Staff is waiting for the 2009 budget results before making any suggestions on
possible savings. Some of the savings could come from realization of more
revenue than budgeted or less expenses than budgeted in 2009. Lotthammer said
if any of the suggested savings directly impact service levels of the Parks
Department he will ask that the Parks Commission be given an opportunity to
review those reductions.
B. MAC LEASE UPDATE
Lotthammer reported there will be a meeting this Thursday to discuss MAC
zoning issues and the next phase of acquisition of Flying Cloud expansion
acreage. Lotthammer said there will probably be some discussion regarding the
City lease of land at Flying Cloud. If they do come to an agreement, MAC does
not have the ability to follow through in signing that agreement until the end of
March making it difficult to start the project this year. Staff has held back on any
detailed plans until they get a signed lease. They have only worked on conceptual
designs thus far. It will take some time to do construction design and to go
through the bidding process.
In response to a question from Bierman, Lotthammer explained the meeting on
Thursday is not a public meeting. The meeting is to discuss zoning at the airport.
Bierman asked if they are talking about a one-year lease or a longer lease.
Lotthammer said previously the lease was on a year-to-year basis. He said they
will probably be looking at a three-year lease with a year-to-year notification
period to end the lease by either party. MAC has indicated they will honor what
they have indicated in the past and something will be in place soon.
Oko asked if there is anything this Commission can do to get this lease in place.
Lotthammer responded not at this point. Napuck asked that the Commission be
informed of the results of this meeting at the Commission's next meeting and if
there is anything the Commission can do to get the process moving forward.
VIII. NEW BUSINESS
A. CUMMINS HOUSE LEASE
Lotthammer explained staff has been working with the Eden Prairie Historical
Society to develop a lease agreement intended to clarify the relationship between
the City and the Historical Society. The lease is intended to give the Historical
PARKS,RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES
January 4, 2010
Page 3
Society access to the Cummins House for a ten-year period to restore the property
and provide programs to interpret the house and increase visitation to the site. The
Historical Society would like to play a more active role with the Cummins House
from a program perspective. Lotthammer said they would like to partner with the
City to make sure costs are kept as low as possible through their volunteer efforts,
etc. Staff is working on a document to define the terms of the lease. Lotthammer
further explained a lot of changes and additions would have to be made to the
facility if an alternative use were brought in. The Historical Society has a donor
who indicated if they are certain or reasonably assured that the house stays open
for public use they would be willing to contribute money for the upgrade of the
facility. They may also look at some grants and it is important to have matching
funds and those funds could be used to upgrade the facility to make it more
usable. Lotthammer said the Historical Society will be taking the lead role in
operating this facility with the City being a supporting role.
Oko asked if the site has been restored after the recent airplane crash. Lotthammer
responded the hazardous waste issues have been taken care of. Fox stated the
porch has been replaced as well as some exterior surface bricks. The portico and
door still need to be painted. The site has been cleaned up and the hole filled. The
damaged tree was also removed and they will need to do some planting. Oko said
when they talked about bringing water to the fields in that area and the off-leash
dog park they also discussed bringing water to the Cummins Grill house. She
asked if this is still a possibility. Fox explained the water and sewer stub was
installed to the property line as part of the County project. It would be the City's
responsibility to bring the water from the stub end to the building. If they wanted
to do this, they would have to find some funding to bring sewer and water up to
the building. Right now there is a septic system and well. Oko asked if this was
one of the issues when they talked about adaptive issues for this facility. Fox
responded there was some concern if an adaptive use required more water service
the well would not be adequate. There is nothing that says sewer and water has to
be installed.
Napuck said this sounds like a good idea and would be worth pursuing.
Lotthammer explained staff anticipates an agreement being presented to the City
Council for consideration in early 2010.
B. RILEY PROPERTY PURCHASE
Lotthammer explained to satisfy the land mitigation requirements resulting from
the Pioneer Trail road project, staff has identified a property that is available for
purchase, meets DNR guidelines for replacement and satisfies the required
mitigation value. Lotthammer displayed a map of the area being considered for
purchase located at 9291 Riley Lake Road. If the County were to acquire this
piece of property as part of mitigation they would satisfy the requirement for
mitigation and not look for other properties. The City's Master Plan does not call
for another neighborhood park and to find five acres of land to build a
neighborhood park would be extremely difficult. The County would acquire the
PARKS,RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES
January 4, 2010
Page 4
property and the City Council would have to grant the authority to the County to
purchase the property on behalf of the City.
Elliott-S toering said the City had previously looked at this property and at that
time thought it would be a good addition to the City but funds were not available.
Coburn asked if any additional funds would be required for demolition.
Lotthammer responded the County demolished the house on the property last
summer. He further explained the long-term benefit could be some parking
configuration and that is something that can be done in the future. If funding does
come available the City would look at how they would use this land so users
would not have to cross private property. This piece of property is very close to
the boat launch as well as the beach.
Bierman said the last time the Commission considered this they stated a
maximum purchase price and this recommendation does not do that. Lotthammer
said they do have a maximum purchase price in mind but do not want to make it
public. Fifty percent of the cost will be borne by the County and 50 percent by the
road project. Staff would want the top end number not to exceed a certain number
to give the County the ability to negotiate. The County has had an appraisal and
there is a willing seller. They know what the seller has the property on the market
for and they feel the County would be able to negotiate a fair and just price. The
County appraisal came in at$380,000.
Motion: Bierman moved, Oko seconded, to recommend the City Council acquire
the private property located at 9291 Riley Lake Road which is contiguous to
Riley Lake Park. The motion carried, 7-0.
IX. REPORTS OF STAFF
A. COMMUNITY CENTER MANAGER
B. RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER
Obiazor briefly reviewed the various activities occurring within the City through
the Parks and Recreation Department including:
FYI: Family Pizza Bingo Night
FYI: Rock on Ice
FYI: Sweetheart Dance
FYI: Senior Center Valentine Breakfast
FYI: "The Mousetrap"by Eden Prairie Players
Napuck asked if staff has ever considered holding mother/son activities. Obiazor
said they will look into activities.
C. PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER
1. 2010 Projects Overview
PARKS,RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES
January 4, 2010
Page 5
Lotthammer briefly reviewed the Parks and Recreation Department 2010-
11 Work Plan explaining there are new commitments under all categories
as well as on-going commitments that are tracked. The on-going
commitments rarely change. He indicated this Plan is also an
accountability report and shows what the Department has done and is also
used as a communication and planning tool. Certain items will come back
to this Commission for further review or approval throughout the year.
Fox presented an overview of the Capital Improvement Projects scheduled
in 2010. He also provided the Commission with an overview of park
construction projects for 2010 explaining each year staff plans park
construction and reconstruction projects based on needs regarding the
maintenance and upkeep of the park system infrastructure. Funding for the
projects come from annual budget requests as well as from the six-year
Capital Improvement Plan. Some additional funding sources for funding
projects are various types of grants, matching donations from private
individuals or athletic associations or the 2005 Bond Referendum.
Napuck questioned the coating used on the trails at Purgatory Creek Park
that were recently resurfaced. Fox explained staff looks at trail surfaces
and how they are maintained especially since they plow a lot of the trails.
The surfaces rolled on do not have the shelf life or durability chip sealers
have. However, the chip sealers do not give a smooth surface. Fox said
there are a number of different things they look at when they do the
resurfacing and they are also in contact with other park systems. There are
more expensive treatments available but they don't have the durability.
They have not yet found the perfect treatment.
D. PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR
1. 2010 PRNR Work Plan
Lotthammer reported the Work Plan now includes the items mentioned at
the last Commission meeting. A joint meeting is scheduled with the Arts
and Culture Commission for Monday, May 10 and a joint meeting with
the Conservation Commission on August 2.
X. NEXT MEETING
The next regular meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission is
scheduled for Monday, February 1, 2010.
X. ADJOURNMENT
Motion: Gerst moved, seconded by Elliott-Stoering to adjourn the meeting. The meeting
was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.