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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 11/20/2012 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES JOINT CITY COUNCIL/PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012 CITY CENTER 5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOMS 6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Council Members Brad Aho, Sherry Butcher Wickstrom, Kathy Nelson, and Ron Case CITY STAFF: City Manager Rick Getschow, Police Chief Rob Reynolds, Fire Chief George Esbensen, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, City Attorney Ric Rosow, , Community Center Manager Wendy Sevenich, Recreation Supervisor Beth Witt and Recorder Lorene McWaters PARKS, RECREATION & NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION: Tom Bierman, Hutch Coburn (Vice Chair), Derek Gunderson, Matthew Kraft, Larry Link, Geri Napuck (Chair), Leonard Pesheck, David Rosa, Yasmin Atef-Vahid (Student Rep), Roseann Awad (Student Rep), Vy Nguyen (Student Rep), Natalie Townsend (Student Rep) Workshop - Heritage Room H Council Member Kathy Nelson was absent. Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Commission Members Hutch Coburn, Matthew Kraft, Geri Napuck, Leonard Pesheck, and David Rosa were absent. Student Commission Member Vy Nguyen, Yasmin Atef-Vahid and Natalie Townsend were absent. I. AQUATICS FEASIBILITY STUDY Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer welcomed the members of the Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Commission as well as Victor Pechaty and Chris Gibbs from HGA, the consultants who assisted in the aquatics feasibility study. Lothammer said the project team included aquatics design consultant Kevin McElyea, Mark Davis and Mark Tullemans from Team Foxjet, as well as City staff members Paul Sticha, Joan Karst, Dzevad Mahmutovic, Wendy Sevenich and Beth Witt. Lotthammer said the study had three main goals: • Identify and resolve facility deficiencies • Address challenges in programming and user group access • Evaluate trends in the community and plan for future programming Stakeholders were identified to help define needs. Current stakeholders include: • Community Center Members • Learn to Swim Programs • Team Foxjet • Eden Prairie High School physical education classes and swim team programs City Council Workshop Minutes November 20, 2012 Page 2 Stakeholders who have requested aquatics space,but were not able to be accommodated include diving and training programs, master swim team, triathlon training, scuba training, young families with toddlers, and private rentals. The demographic analysis concludes that the future of Eden Prairie is "more seniors and more youth." At the same time, Community Center memberships have risen sharply since it was remodeled in 2007. Water exercise participation has increased sharply over the past two years, while swim lessons have remained flat mainly due to limitations of the pool itself. Specific limitations identified in the study include lack of pool time available, inadequate locker room space, and lack of swim team training facilities/lanes. In addition, the pool does not meet minimum depths required for competitive starts, has little shallow water(needed for young swim lesson participants), and the water temperature is very cold. Three interactive workshops were held, culminating in recommendation of a preferred alternative. The preferred alternative includes modifying the existing pool area and building: • A new 12-lane lap pool with depth starting blocks and a separate diving/deep water exercise area (25' x 75') • A recreational pool with warm water and zero-depth entry The proposal also includes construction of an additional fitness area above the new lap pool. Lotthammer said the preferred alternative could be implemented in phases. Phase I would include the lap pool and fitness area, and would cost around $10 million. Phase 11 would include the recreational pool, and would cost around $6 million. Financing options include issuing bonds, selling naming rights, fundraising by user groups and grants. Community Center Manager Wendy Sevenich said she believes it will be possible to drive profit in the proposed aquatics area, similar to what occurred when the Community Center was remodeled. Foxjets representative Mark Davis said their program currently has 331 swimmers, 85% of which are Eden Prairie residents. He noted that Foxjets contributed $10,000 toward the feasibility study and said the group is committed to working with City staff to bring dollars to the project. Lotthammer said the current proposed pools will likely generate more revenue than the water park concept that was proposed in 2005. Operating systems are already in place, which will help defray expenses. City Manager Rick Getschow said that the City's debt service is set to decrease significantly in 2014, so the City Council may want to consider bonding for this project. Mayor Tyra-Lukens said she likes the plan as it appears to meet the needs of all users. She also likes the idea of implementing the project in phases using debt service. Council Member Butcher Wickstrom said she loves the plan, and she feels now is the time to do it. She asked if the pool would attract regional users or mainly Eden Prairie residents. Lotthammer said staff is looking to fill the needs of Eden Prairie residents first, but there is enough flexibility built in that non-prime time space would be used by other programs, such as scuba and deep water training. Aho said he likes the plan,but is a little stunned at the cost estimate. Aho also said the lap pool would need to have bleachers for competition spectators. Pechaty said the cost estimate is based on similar recently-constructed facilities throughout the country. He noted that aquatic systems are expensive so costs are higher than fitness-only facilities. Council Member Case said the community has a history of going cheap and regretting it City Council Workshop Minutes November 20, 2012 Page 3 almost immediately, as in the cases of the original Community Center and the Oak Point Pool. He said the City might as well not do it unless they are going to do it right. Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Commission Member Tom Bierman said the proposed facility will serve everyone from tots to seniors, and he believes it will be a revenue generating operation. He said a key message of the study is that demand is outstripping supply. Commission Member Derek Gunderson said he agrees that audience seating should be added to the facility. Pechaty said seating can be added, but it would mean additional costs. Lotthammer said the parking situation also needs to be taken into consideration. He said the facility is on a tight sight, and that stormwater capacity also needs be taken into account. He said City staff will be meeting with representatives of the School District about the project, and the next step would be to have the Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Commission consider more detailed designs, which will allow for refined cost estimates. II. BUDGET ADVISORY COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS Getschow said recruitment for the Budget Advisory Commission took place this fall; however, no new applications were received. Four of the seven Commissioners' terms expire at the end of this year. One reapplied, and three indicated they would not reapply (although one later reconsidered). One Commissioner resigned due to a work-related move, leaving only four members on the Commission. Getschow said the Commission's charter still lists review of the annual budget as one of their responsibilities, although since late 2011 the BAC has worked on project-specific assignments. Council Member Aho said BAC review of the budget is an important part of the process, and he would like to open up the commission again for new applicants. Council Member Case said he was not in favor of the Commission in the beginning, and he does not think the Commission has proven its value in light of the amount of staff time it requires. He said he cannot think of one recommendation the Commission came up with that the Council would not have implemented on its own. He thinks the City's budget process is already very transparent. He said he could see using citizen expertise from time to time,but setting the budget is the Council's job. Mayor Tyra-Lukens said she never agreed with the idea of a Budget Advisory Commission, and she agrees that it is the Council's job to set the budget. She suggested that the Commission be made into a task force that looks at particular topics. Butcher Wickstrom said that when the BAC was formed, she contacted other cities to see whether or not they had similar commissions. She said only one other city had a Budget Commission, and the general sentiment was that it is the Council's role to make policy. Mayor Tyra-Lukens asked about next steps,based on Council input. Getschow said inactivation of the Commission would have to be done by ordinance, which staff can present to the Council for consideration at an upcoming meeting. Open Podium - Council Chamber III. OPEN PODIUM IV. ADJOURNMENT