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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity and School Facility Use Advisory Committee - 03/23/2011 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE WED., MARCH 23, 2011 7:00 PM, EDEN PRAIRIE ART CENTER 7650 Equitable Drive COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Derek Gunderson (Chair), John Estall (Vice Chair), John Bergstrand, Farida Kathawalla, Lisa Lieberman, Kathy Nelson STAFF: Terri Johnson, Interim Director of Community Education Jay Lotthammer, Director of Parks and Recreation Laurie Obiazor, Manager of Recreation Services Wendy Sevenich, Community Center Manager Mike Grant, High School Activities Director Lyndell Frey, Recreation Coordinator Cheryl Bridge, Facilities Coordinator Ricardo Jones, High School Activities Coordinator Heidi Wojahn, Recorder GUESTS: Lindsey Danhauser, Art Center Coordinator Suzanne Kutina, School Board Member Ryan Marks, Recreation Intern I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Vice Chair Estall called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Laurie Obiazor, Wendy Sevenich, Cheryl Bridge and Committee Members Farida Kathawalla and Lisa Lieberman were absent. Gunderson arrived at 7:25 p.m. Introductions were made. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA No quorum. III. MINUTES This item was addressed out of order under Item IV.C. IV. ITEMS OF BUSINESS A. REVIEW 2010 FACILITY USE CHARGES - Frey 1. City Spaces Used by School District Girls hockey fees increased $5,000 from 2009 due to more practice and home games. Grant said fees vary from year-to-year based on how well the team does and how the holidays line up. The City has been very CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 23, 2011 Page 2 flexible with scheduling given the unknown length of the season. This money comes out of the lease levy as opposed to the general fund or student activities budget. 2. School District Spaces Used by City Fees were down $6,000 in 2009 and increased approximately $7,500 in 2010 for a net difference of about$1,500,resulting in total charges similar to that of 2008. There were no fees last year for adult athletics court rental at the High School Activity Center due to space being used at other school facilities and the Community Center. Conversely, rental fees at Central Middle School (CMS) and other school gyms increased due to more rentals for adult basketball and volleyball. The fall flag football league is fortunate to have use of the Dome for a six-week period between October and the holidays after completing their outdoor season at Miller Park. Grant explained Community Education deals with almost all of the facilities in the District with the exception of the high school facilities. Eden Prairie is the only school district in the State, and one of the few in the country, where the high school facilities are run through Student Activities. The reason for this is budget reductions. All revenue generated goes to the general fund. If run through Community Ed,revenue couldn't be used for utilities. It is a unique situation and is analyzed annually. Frey ends up working with two different entities,but it is a positive for the District. B. UPDATE ON ART CENTER/SUMMER ARTS ACTIVITIES —Danhauser The Art Center opened in May of 2009. Activities consist of nightly adult classes (except for Sundays), classes and summer camps for kids, birthday parties (76 held last year), and the annual Art Crawl. The large room can be partitioned off to accommodate multiple activities. Members may participate in open studio time. Program offerings are beginning to incorporate advanced classes. Upcoming events include a Friends of the Eden Prairie Art Center fundraiser tomorrow evening featuring jewelry making and a City-wide photo contest in May. There are two categories for the contest: under 17 and over 18. A gas kiln donated by the Sampson family allows firing at higher temperatures. C. 2011 SUMMER FIELD USAGE Frey reported along with the Pioneer Trail expansion, the two fields just west of the Cummins-Grill homestead were converted to two baseball fields (one 80-foot and one 90-foot base path) with fences at 275-300 feet. This will help accommodate those in the 12-to-18-year age range, the largest group of players. Stu Fox, Parks and Natural Resources Manager, worked diligently to make the fields fit, and both will open this spring. Younger kids can play at Flying Cloud where the fences are a little less than 200 feet. CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 23, 2011 Page 3 Miller#9 was shut down last fall due to overuse and is expected to reopen this spring. The Soccer Association, Football Association, and high school complied by staying off the fields from late summer through fall. It is the City's intention to move associations off of neighborhood park fields as much as possible. The lighting of some Miller Park fields helps with this. Gunderson arrived at 7:25 p.m. MOTION: Gunderson moved, seconded by Bergstrand, to approve the November 17, 2010 minutes. Motion carried 3-0-1 with Nelson abstaining. 1. Flyins! Cloud Expansion Update - Lotthammer Between the current fields and Grace Church, there are 25 acres with a big dip in the middle. The dip will be filled and the area reworked to allow for the addition of two baseball fields (one 80-foot and one 90-foot base path) and two full-size turf fields. The City Council awarded the contract to Shard Construction and work will begin in May at the latest. The fields will be seeded this fall or next spring and have the 2012 season to grow. Baseball should be able to begin play hopefully in the spring of 2013; turf users will likely need to wait until mid-summer when the turf is more established. Frey stated the project is being funded with dollars from the 2005 park bond referendum. 2. School Field Update—Grant/Jones Even though community groups are charged, the demand for turf fields has skyrocketed and provided a good revenue source. Surrounding communities used to rent the turf,but the demand is so high a full summer rental is anticipated from various local associations and camps. An added benefit is the four grass fields have improved tremendously and are more available for use. Like the City, a sliding fee scale is used with highest fees charged to private for-profit entities, secondary fees to local groups, and lowest fees to associations consisting of all Eden Prairie kids. Having the turf fields and dome is a great community asset. At least 75% of dome rentals come from local youth associations. No fields are expected to be shut down this summer. The school oversees some rentals at CMS and Oak Point,but 90% of rentals are at the high school. Most of the fields surrounding the elementary school are City-owned. It is easier to accommodate renters at the high school in the event of inclement weather. Frey explained the field at Cedar Ridge is owned by the School District. Unlike School facilities, City facility rentals are only available to Eden Prairie non-profit groups, City programs, or the School District. Other groups are referred to the high school. The philosophy is City facilities are for Eden Prairie residents, thus private individuals are not permitted to use the public facilities. Lotthammer added the fields see enough wear and tear the way it is CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 23, 2011 Page 4 without renting to outside groups and grass fields are expensive to maintain. Jones announced there is one more open dome Friday night; $3.00 admission, any age. Estall suggested school facilities be featured in the spotlight at an upcoming school board meeting. Nelson commented information could also be featured on the District/EPHS websites in the form of a"What's happening at school facilities this week" section. 3. Rus!by - Jones There is a growing interest in rugby. Although not an official high school club, the group is looking to use school facilities for its season. There has been a change in leadership and the group is more compliant than in the past in terms of following rules and expectations. They are currently renting as an outside group. Grant commented this is a Facebook- generated group. They want space in March and are hard on the fields. Frey said he views the process similar to lacrosse becoming established as a youth association - it's here to stay. The City is working with the group and will do their best to accommodate them once the criteria has been met, but there cannot be access to fields in any given year earlier than May. D. UPDATE ON OBSERVATORY AT OUTDOOR CENTER - Lotthammer The grand opening took place last fall with about 100 people in attendance. Over 250 people attended the first open scope night session which is too many people and cars for that location. There is limited access now,but fundraising efforts are underway to permanently hook up a flatscreen so others can gather round and see what is being viewed through the telescope. In addition, thanks to a computer and donated software,people inside the Outdoor Center can see the night sky on a screen as if they were standing outside at that exact location. The system identifies and provides information about constellations relative to where the cursor is located on the monitor. Members of the Minnesota Astronomical Society set up their own powerful telescopes on the surrounding deck and are eager to teach others. This was all made possible with donated funds from two families. The roof rotates open, the barn doors open up, and 65-foot helical anchors secure the floor. Star Watch programs occur monthly. Grant emphasized the need to seize this rare opportunity to get schools involved. E. UPDATE ON DISTRICT FACILITIES PLAN The District is moving to K-6 schools. Estall stated this is the result of a two-year long-term facilities usage plan. Schools in the northern part of the City were underutilized, and the District needed to better manage its facilities. The transition will begin with K-5 this fall. Current 4"'graders will stay at the K-4 schools as 5"' graders; current 5"'graders will stay at Oak Point next year as 6"'graders. There will be another 6"'grade Spanish Immersion class. The first year of the new Oak Point school will be K-5 next year. Next year's 5"'graders will stay at their CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 23, 2011 Page 5 respective schools for 6"'grade while the 6"'grade class from Oak Point moves to CMS. The lower campus of Eagle Heights will be moved so there are two K-6 schools at Oak Point, one of which will be Spanish Immersion. Preschool will move into the lower campus and eventually expand. The schools will be fully transitioned at that time. F. HENNEPIN COUNTY GRANT UPDATE - MILLER PARK - Lotthammer City staff wrote and submitted a grant for eight scoreboards, rooftops on players benches with fencing and a windscreen behind it, and a hitting/pitching station for softball. The total cost of the project is close to $300,000. Girls softball and boys baseball partnered to raise slightly more than fifty percent of the dollars required; the other half is from the Hennepin County Youth Sports Initiative which is money from the Twins Stadium tax income. Stu Fox is facilitating construction. Grant commented this really benefits the school in terms of complying with Title IX responsibilities. Nelson said it would be appropriate to have a public thank you to the association and Hennepin County for the construction funds posted on permanent signage. Lotthammer confirmed this is already one of the conditions of the grant agreement. Frey said the benches were worked on over the winter and should be ready for use in mid-April. Grant suggested putting together a grant proposal with the Football Association to light Field A at the high school due to increased demand. Frey stated lighting costs run about$120,000 for a soccer field and $80,000 for a softball field. G. OTHER Nelson received a request from members of Silver Sneakers, a seniors exercise class, to use the high school walking track on winter mornings. The mall floors are too hard. Grant replied the first step would be to send a request to him and set up a meeting to discuss the logistics, and then he would need to take it up with the principal. It doesn't quite fall under student activities so much as School District policy about visitors in the building during school hours. Although the track is underutilized, they would need to make sure there is a way they can accommodate them given the curricular activities while keeping the integrity of the security. He wants to make it work, if possible. Perhaps the seniors can get involved with the students as well. Estall inquired about open basketball that used to take place on Sunday nights on all six courts at the Activities Center. It was a great program but was discontinued due to problems with some of the kids who attended. Jones will look into the history of the program and will update the Committee at its next meeting. Nelson stated something she found frustrating when her children were younger was Parks and Recreation and Community Education brochures not coming out at the same time. It made it difficult to plan accordingly without seeing all the options at one time. It would be great to have a combined brochure or at least have the brochures released at the same time to facilitate parents in coordinating CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 23, 2011 Page 6 summer schedules. Perhaps money can be saved by publishing a joint brochure or even a joint website. Johnson said the brochures did come out around the same time this spring, and this is definitely something she would be in favor of continuing. Frey said they were published together some time ago. He will ask staff why this was discontinued and address it at the next meeting. V. NEXT MEETING A. MEETING DATE The next CSFAC meeting will be Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 7 p.m. at the Eden Prairie High School Performing Arts Center. B. DISCUSSION ITEMS Open Night Basketball Flying Cloud Expansion Update Community Education/City Brochures Other Ideas —forward to Frey or Bridge VI. OTHER None VII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Nelson moved, seconded by Gunderson, to adjourn. Motion carried 4-0. Vice Chair Estall adjourned the meeting at 8:15 p.m.