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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 06/02/2008 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY,JUNE 2, 2008 7:00 P.M., COMMUNITY CENTER Cambria Room 16700 Valley View Road COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Geri Napuck, Chair, John Brill, Vice Chair; Tom Bierman, Lee Elliott-S toering, Jeffrey Gerst, Randy Jacobus and Ian Mackay (arrived at 7:15 PM) COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Rob Barrett and Joan Oko COMMISSION STAFF PRESENT: Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director; Laurie Obiazor, Recreation Services Manager; Stu Fox, Parks and Natural Resources Manager; Wendy Sevenich, Community Center Manager; Jan Curielli, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Chair Napuck at 7:05 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Elliott-S toering moved, seconded by Brill, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 6-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —May 5, 2008 Bierman said he had a few changes. He said the title for Item VIII.B., Page 3 would be better as Miller Park Playsround Master Plan in order not to cause possible misunderstanding that the Miller Park Master Plan itself was being changed. He said there are two changes to Paragraph 2, Page 7. Sentence 1 should be changed to: `Bierman said that when they talk about a memorial he believes it includes both people that died in combat and those that served." Sentence 14 should be changed to: "Bierman asked that as the Committee goes forward they also think of peace keeping." Bierman was concerned that the wording in Paragraph 1, Page 6, makes it sound like the neighborhood on the south end of the Edenvale project is a private project. Fox replied the recommendation in the Master Plan is that the connection to Ticonderoga is not the primary connection nor does it serve a great deal of outside area. Fox said the neighbors were clear they did not want a connection to Ticonderoga. Following a discussion about the wording of the paragraph, Fox said he did not see a problem with the wording and did not think it should be changed. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 2 Sevenich said she thought the second sentence of Item 1, under Community Center Manager on Page 11, should include reference to liquor as well as food. Lotthammer said it could be changed to: "In anticipation of residents' needs, the food and alcohol section of the City Policy..." Bierman said Sentence 10 of the second paragraph of Item 1, Page 11 should be changed to: ...and that the list of those 40 businesses came from independent sources including the Chamber of Commerce." MOTION: Brill moved, seconded by Bierman, to approve the May 5, 2008, Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission meeting minutes as presented and amended. Motion carried 5-0-1, with Gerst abstaining because of absence from that meeting. IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION OF MAY 6 AND MAY 20, 2008 A. Camp Eden Wood Master Plan B. Veterans Memorial Art C. Community Center Caterers D. Art Center Architect E. Edenbrook Nature Trail F. Cost Recovery Policy G. ATM at Community Center H. Professional Services for Miller Park Play Area Lotthammer said there was not much discussion by the City Council on any of the items, and all of them were adopted essentially as the Commission recommended. The Camp Eden Wood presentation given to the Council was similar to the one given to the Commission. The Council approved the Veterans Memorial art as presented and noted that, if we need to tweak some things, we had their blessing to do that and we should use our best judgment as we continue to work with the artists. He said there was no discussion about the Community Center Caterers, and the Edenbrook Nature Trail was a consent calendar item. We are meeting with the Art Center architect on Thursday. Lotthammer said Ms. Obiazer and he presented the Cost Recovery Policy to the Council, and they did not have any concerns about that. The Council's questions on the Cost Recovery Policy dealt more with our philosophy of what we charge and how we set the prices. The contract for professional services for the Miller Park Play Area was awarded to Brauer and Associates. The ATM at the Community Center was not an item for this Commission,but rather was part of the Finance Department, and he thought the ATM may already be in place. Lotthammer said two items will be brought to the June 3 meeting of the Council. Those items are the ordinance regarding tall grass and an update on the Art Center requested by the Council. He said we have entered into an agreement with the architect for the Art Center, we have talked to some funding groups, and we are moving forward with getting it planned and implemented. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 3 V. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION Fox said the Planning Commission held only one meeting in May on May 12. The only item on the May 12 agenda with significant impact was the approval of a subdivision called Enclave 11 in the northeast corner of the City just south of the Crosstown. The subdivision includes 44 single family homes with price points of$1.2-1.5 million. Mackay arrived at 7:15 PM. Fox noted the Enclave 11 project will generate cash park fees and will provide a back door entrance to Carmel Park just to the south side of the Crosstown as well as access to the Hans Hagen development south of Rowland Road. He said the private street with a cul-de-sac will allow a trail connection to be put in, and that will mean the City West Parkway area will be able to access the park. He said the project goes to the Council at their second meeting in June. VI. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION VII. OLD BUSINESS VIII. NEW BUSINESS A. CIP 2009-2013 Lotthammer said we are starting the Capital Improvement Program(CIP) discussions sooner this year. In the past the City Council has approved the CIP closer to the end of the year, and we then try to get the information out to people for their comments and thoughts. The Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) is trying to get things done ahead of time, and this year they are focusing on the capital budget. Staff members were asked to present our proposals to the BAC a week ago. He and Stu Fox presented the information to the BAC and explained the projects we have. They focused on three areas--Cedar Hills Park, Miller Park and trails. He said tonight they would like to give the same overview to the Commission, answer any questions, and get feedback. Towards September the City Manager will recommend the CIP budget to the City Council based on the feedback received. Lotthammer said they looked at cash flow and timing and, in most cases,pushed things out further so that some of the projects scheduled for 2009-2010 are now out in 2012 and 2013. This is, in part, a response to the last round of budget discussions when the Council looked to hold back projects on the CIP that they levied. Lotthammer said Cedar Hills Park has always been looked at as a year away,but he thought this is a realistic year to start the development of the park. It will be located just west of the airport in the area that doesn't have a circle on the planning map. Houses are being developed near there, and the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC)has been PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 4 telling us we can sit down and discuss the Use Agreement. It is possible we may end up with enough money to do the development in 2011 and 2012. Bierman asked what type of fields will be built at Cedar Hills and if they will be more multi-purpose. Lotthammer said most of the softball and baseball fields are at Grill and Flying Cloud. Fox said they looked at creating an open play field area at Cedar Hills since it has a large, flat open area. Bierman asked about the status of the building the Commission visited two years ago at Cedar Hills. Lotthammer said there are some development plans showing different configurations now and this is somewhat in the hands of the Planning Commission. Fox noted Pemtom still owns it, and they are trying to market it to some builders. They have not deeded any land to the City on that side of the creek. Elliott-Stoering said she thought we were going to swap areas. Fox replied part of it is a density transfer that occurred when Pemtom brought Hennepin Village in. They wanted to intensify the development higher than the Guide Plan would allow. In order to do that we did a density transfer, as a result of which the creek corridor became green space. He noted Cedar Hills Park is located west of Eden Prairie Road and is not associated with the Cedar Hills golf area. Lotthammer said they talked about Phase 1 of the Miller Park improvements. Some of the equipment there has life left in it, so only some of the play area equipment will be replaced at this time. He said they are looking at$350,000 in 2010 for the equipment replacement and another$350,000 in 2010 for improvements of the athletic fields at Miller Park. Bierman asked how the new fields are working out. Lotthammer replied that we haven't played on them yet. Fox added we are talking about August at the earliest. Lotthammer said we are relying on a donation for the Miller Park Baseball Stadium seating. He noted the Baseball Association is spending a lot of money on the facility at Round Lake. Brill asked if this is needed by the Baseball Association or by the City. Fox said the City would put in $50,000, and the Baseball Association would put in $200,000. He thought they are going to see how much they can put into the new stadium at Round Lake before they put any money into the Miller Park project. Lotthammer said the Miller Park Pavilion is scheduled for 2013 and will be similar to the ones at Purgatory Creek and Lake Riley. Lotthammer said one of the commissioners from the BAC was asking about trails, and we were asked to cover that topic fairly thoroughly. There was $2,000,000 for trails in the 2005 Bond Referendum, and we still have about$1,200,000 left. He said we weren't going to debate the worthiness of trails because we have already been through that, so we are not in a position to say we can do something else with the money. A good chunk of it is maintenance dollars to keep the trails up. He thought the Council knows that trails have to be maintained. Fox said the focus for the 2005 referendum was to build major trail PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 5 sections that were too expensive to budget through our CIP or our trail improvement funds. He said we have a ranking of trail projects that exceeds the amount of money we can put forward. Of the $2,000,000 from the referendum, $800,000 went for completion of the trail from Duck Lake to the northern edge of the City. We have $800,000 for next year and $400,000 for the following year to look at those trails on the priority list that are expensive to build. To partner with that, there is a second funding with the CIP for renovation and overlay of the trails along public streets. Public Works takes care of the right-of-way corridor,but trails come under our Park and Open Space Plan. It is a little confusing because our CIP would cover trails in the park system like those at Staring Lake. We can partner with developers or use referendum dollars for building new trails in our network of trails. Elliott-Stoering asked if these will be new trails. Fox replied these are new trails, not renovations. Fox said Phase 11 of the Edenvale Conservation Area trail was bid out. Phase III of that trail was put in primarily as a placeholder, and if the Ticonderoga neighborhood wants a trail, we will have to tell them we can't build it until 2013. Elliott-Stoering noted she thought the description of Project#13101, Edenbrook Trail—Phase III has an incorrect description. Fox agreed that it is an error that was overlooked during their proofing process and it will be corrected. Fox noted we saved about$300,000 from the development of Edenvale and Forest Hills, but we may need the extra money to expand at Flying Cloud. MAC has said if everything goes well we can bid that out this winter for construction next year. Fox said every year we put money in for parking lot and playground equipment maintenance. There are 29 areas with playground equipment and we evaluate and replace the equipment as needed and seal coat the parking lots. Fox said the Purgatory Creek trail corridor is part of the Conservation Area plan. Phase Il of the trail is from Antlers Ridge to Riverview. An easement from the Phillippi's will be needed to daylight the trail out to Riverview Road. He said Phases III and IV involve a portion of the trail that will need neighborhood input. He said they plan a full access road to Purgatory Creek Park for 2009. The project went to bid two years ago,but the project was too expensive at that time. We are now looking at a way to do some of it in-house and bid some of it out. It will provide full access to the park at the stoplight by Southwest Crossing. Brill asked if that is part of the plan. Fox replied it is part of the original plan. We have to bear the costs of signalization and road improvement,but he thought that will be an enhancement to the park. Some park visitors now go out by Lifetime Fitness in order to get to the signal light because of the heavy traffic in that area at certain times of the day. Fox said Rice Marsh Lake Trail connects Rice Marsh Lake Park with the area around Bearpath. He noted this has been delayed for several years primarily because MNDoT will not negotiate with the City until the Hwy 312 project has been closed out. At that time we can entertain either a trail easement or have the land donated to us. Mackay PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 6 asked if the section of trail from Eden Prairie to Chanhassen is part of the same program. Fox said that is a requirement for the Sienna Company, the developer of Bearpath. There was not enough room for the trail until the box culvert on Riley Road was widened. This section will be at the developer's expense, not ours. Fox said the Riley Creek Trail project is a series of phases for a trail from Pioneer Trail south along Riley Creek to Miller Spring. It is predicated on us getting MAC to allow us to develop on that property and on the developer deeding land along the creek. We can't build Phase III until that occurs. Phase IV goes from Riley Creek Woods up to Pioneer Trail and ultimately up to the LRT trail. This depends on the timing of the Pioneer Trail which primarily involves the Marshall property on the upgraded Dell Road. He said we can project these things out, but we can't determine when these transactions will occur. Bierman asked what the "Priority" numbers mean. Lotthammer said this spreadsheet is based on a software program the City uses and we have asked the Finance Manager to change this title to be "Category." This is actually a category type, not a priority number, so the word "priority" is misleading. Bierman suggested an asterisk be added at the top with a footnote to explain the definition. He thought it was a well-done report and a good summary and he thought it was better than what he remembered from last year. Lotthammer said one of the things we were asked to do was to give as good a description and justification as possible. It is a good software program to help us plan. We are trying to spread out as many things as possible, but we don't want to postpone too many. Fox said this is part of a larger report which contains definitions in the first two pages. The "Priority" term was used to break the items down as new, expanding or enhancing,but the terms can be somewhat confusing. Brill said he would like to see the funding sources included in a kind of executive summary that includes the fund balances and what we will get each year. Lotthammer said there are many different reports that can be generated by the software. He noted when you look at cash park fees or park dedication it is a little bit of anybody's guess. The UnitedHealth project will amount to big money. We have a tight cash flow in 2009- 2010, and we may have to look at sliding some projects out further. We look good at 2016, at which point we still have a balance in cash park fees. Depending on when the revenue hits, there may be some years where we may have to make decisions based on how much money we have in the bank. We tried to look at this very conservatively, and we didn't include increasing cash park fees into the formula. The Planning Staff looked at when revenue would come in. Stu Fox and he looked at how to live within those means, and this plan does that. Fox said there was a page used internally that talked about cash park fees coming in, and that is why we shifted some of these projects out. We pushed a lot of these out, and they may continue to be pushed out. UnitedHealth has about 60 acres of development in the City West Parkway area across from the Hilton. They want to build a complex for all of their locations around the metropolitan area. There is also a potential for ADC to subdivide their property because they have not gone forward with their building phase. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 7 Presbyterian Homes is looking to start, and that project will bring in a lot of cash park fees. He noted there may come a day when the City is built out to the furthest extent and we won't have cash park fees. At that point we will have to go to referendum or use CIP money. MOTION: Gerst moved, seconded by Mackay, to support staff s proposal and recommend the CIP project list to the City Council for inclusion in the 2009-2013 CIP Program. Motion carried 7-0. B. 2009 Proposed Fees and Charges Lotthammer said last December we were looking at changes in fees, but that timing didn't make sense. We were trying to predict what the City Council would say about fees in December, but because Parks and Recreation needs to promote things in advance and write the brochures in September, we decided this year we wanted to be ahead of it because last year we didn't have much time for citizen input and Commission discussion. The intent will be to bring this to the City Council in July, and if they say we should not do it this way we won't promote and publicize it. He said the cover memo in the packet highlights some areas of new or increased fees and charges, and the information in the 2009 Proposed Fee Resolution spreadsheet shows what the current amount is and what the proposed amount for 2009 is. He said some of the new items are included because we did not have those things before, such as a middle-sized room at the Community Center. We are proposing to increase the ice time rates. We watch the market on ice time rates and we know what others are doing. We are actually towards the top of what we charge for prime time ice. He noted we are not proposing to raise the membership rates at the Community Center, and Wendy Sevenich has the detail on that. He also noted these aren't program fees because that isn't something that goes before the City Council. Those fees depend on the number of sessions and when they meet. Elliott-Stoering asked where the key is to define Groups 1, 2 and 3 on the Facilities spreadsheet. Sevenich said the fees are broken into two or three groups with Group 1 for City programs, Group 2 for associations, not-for-profit groups and residents, and Group 3 for non-residents. Obiazor noted these are written in the overall definition. Lotthammer said the group designation serves both as a priority and, in some cases, a fee for extras. Jacobus asked if we encourage those in Group 1 to rent the courts and are there enough activities to do that. Sevenich said the programs we run through the Parks and Recreation Department do not pay rentals,but the School District does. Use by the City programs is written into the budget for different portions of our facilities and becomes an internal wash on the books. Jacobus asked if we want the School District to rent the facilities. Sevenich replied after the City programs are in place we want to fill the space in the gym if it does not interfere with open use. There is not much time left after we use the facility for our own uses. Jacobus noted the pricing is about four times higher. Sevenich said it was designed that way. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 8 Jacobus said it appears the charge for the Oak Point large pool rental is only $28 per hour. Brill noted that is the charge for lifeguards only. Jacobus said he noticed that, except for the pool, the rates for all the facilities increase depending on the user group and asked if that is by design. Sevenich said the Oak Point pool is not our facility space and she will need to find out about that. Lotthammer noted that ice isn't discounted either. Jacobus said the note states Eden Prairie Athletic Associations get one free meeting use per month for the Community Center meeting rooms. The note goes on to indicate from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. He thought there should be a period after the statement about one free meeting use per month. Sevenich said those are two separate pieces of information. Brill asked if the associations can pick the time they use for their free meeting time. Sevenich said they can pick the time,but we ask them to be consistent in their meeting times. Obiazor said the charges for ice and pool are based on prime and non-prime times, with priority given to City programs and the School District. Sevenich said we can evaluate why we don't have three levels for those. Elliott-Stoering asked if the fee for the play structure is a going rate compared with other community centers. Sevenich said the fee in Eagan is $5.00 for the same size space, and she thought our$4.50 is on the lower end. In reality it is paid per use or per visit rather than per hour. Elliott-Stoering noted that comparable-size play areas at Eden Prairie Center and McDonalds are free. Sevenich said the fee is part of having child care while using the facility. She said we also plan to create a package for birthday parties that will include use of the play structure. Brill commented this was very helpful information and it is a good tool to have. Bierman asked if the definition of Groups 1, 2 and 3 is anywhere in this spreadsheet. Sevenich said it is in the main resolution. Bierman suggested that the definition be put in this document if it is used for discussion with other groups. Lotthammer said we work regularly with other groups to talk about what our rates are going to be. The School District knows what group they are in, as does the Hockey Association. Sevenich noted it also will be explained in our facility rental agreement. Fox noted this is our section out of the much larger overall City fee resolution that also includes fees for other City departments such as building inspection and permits, and licenses to sell cigarettes. Jacobus asked if this is different from what we did with the sports facilities. Mackay said the sports facilities fall between Group 2 and Group 3, and he thought the definitions are the same. Fox said this deals with priority uses and the Field Use Policy is determined by a composition of different groups. The Field Use Policy goes all the way to a Priority 8. Brill noted this document is about fees and that policy is about usage. Napuck asked if we have three categories for fees but more for usage. Sevenich said this is a priority of use as well as a document for fees. Bierman said he would like to have the definitions put down so it is clear. Jacobus asked if the priority usage for a group is dictated here. Fox said this determines if they meet the criteria for use, and if they don't meet the criteria for Group 3, PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 9 they would not be able to use the facility. Fox said the two documents are related but a little different. Bierman asked where the money from the Pleasant Hills Cemetery goes. Fox replied Pleasant Hills is set up as an independent fund, separate from the City's General Fund. A portion of the sale of a cemetery plot goes into a perpetual fund for maintenance fees. Pleasant Hills is a public cemetery and is a self-contained entity. He noted there are 450 plots yet to be purchased. MOTION: Brill moved, seconded by Gerst, to recommend the City Council approve the proposed fee changes and additions as presented by staff for inclusion in the 2009 budget. Motion carried 7-0. IX. REPORTS OF STAFF A. Recreation Services Manager 1. Staffing Update Obiazor said our new Eden Prairie Senior Center Recreation Coordinator started work today. She reviewed Sue Bohnsack's resume, noting she has a Parks and Recreation degree as well as a degree in Therapeutic Recreation. She said Ms Bohnsack is a great addition to our staff. Obiazor said we received 57 applications for the permanent, part-time Art Center Coordinator position. We want to get someone in that position as soon as possible because we are starting to do the fall program brochures. She said they narrowed the number of applicants to seven and interviewed six of the seven. The top two candidates will be interviewed again on Thursday at the Art Center. Both candidates have very strong backgrounds and have degrees in Fine Arts. She said a lot of the candidates were excited about stepping into a brand new facility and starting the program from the ground up. She noted we will have someone on board by July. Lotthammer commended Ms Obiazor for doing a great job in selecting staff. There is a lot of work to do to get Ms Bohnsack up to speed, as well as a lot of work to select the Art Center Coordinator. He said it has been fun to meet some of the people and see the quality of the candidates. Obiazor said it is clear the candidates for the Senior Center position were interested in working for the City of Eden Prairie, but she thought they were also very interested in working with the seniors. She believes Ms Bohnsack has a love and passion for working with the seniors. 2. Senior Awareness Month Recap PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 10 Obiazor said Senior Awareness Month is a major event for the month of May. We offered over 15 major events during the month, and there were additional events put on by other senior providers. There was a luncheon and speaker from the Police Department scheduled every week. She reviewed some of the many events held during the month. FYI: July 4 Celebration FYI: Sounds Around Town FYI: Arts & Antiques in the Park FYI: Minnesota Festival of Jazz on the Prairie Obiazor said there is a sheet in the packet about needing volunteers for the Fourth of July celebration. Brill noted it was a lot of fun last year when he participated. Obiazor said they had a planning meeting today and everything is on track for the event. The event brochure will come out a week or two before the event. Obiazor noted the Sounds Around Town will be moved to Purgatory Creek Park for this year, and the Kidstock series has been moved to Riley Lake Park. Arts & Antiques in the Park will be held this Saturday at the J. R. Cummins Homestead. She said the Minnesota Festival of Jazz on the Prairie will be held at Purgatory Creek Park this year. As an addition to that event, the Rotary Club is sponsoring a rib fest. Napuck thanked Ms Obiazor for her presentation and noted there are a lot of good events coming up. B. Community Center Manager 1. Grand Opening Recap Sevenich thanked the Commission members for attending the Grand Opening of the Community Center. She said they had a good, steady flow of people for the opening and many of the visitors were surprised that anyone can use the facility. We got information and feedback from some who attended. 2. Community Center Marketing Update Sevenich said the Commission had asked for a recap on the Community Center marketing, and that is included in the packet. She reviewed the marketing efforts to date, noting there have been many articles about the Community Center in the Eden Prairie News, the Sun Current and the Life in the Prairie publication. They have used other venues to market the facility,but have tried to avoid direct mail because of the high costs. There has been an increase in the traffic of people using the facility. Lotthammer noted there was an article about the Community Center PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 11 in the Star-Tribune a couple of months ago, and also it appeared on You Tube. 3. Membership Update Sevenich said we have a total of 982 memberships, year-to-date. The total for the same time period last year was 531. She said the medical insurance reimbursements have really pushed the membership drive since that was added. Jacobus asked how the membership figures compare to the budget. Sevenich said we expected to have 571 month-to-month dues payers in April but we hit a higher mark with 894. She said the budgeted monthly dues average amount was slightly higher, but we have had more seniors and sponsor memberships come in and that decreased the average. Jacobus asked what the capacity of the facility is. Sevenich said we discussed 2000 memberships as capacity, but we haven't come up with a capacity figure recently. She was not sure we could go beyond 2000. She said the key thing is the membership units are using more than just the fitness center. Lotthammer thought we could be at 2000,but after that we would be pushing it at the peak times. Sevenich said we need to get a feel for what the number is in January. Lotthammer said we see the Silver Sneakers members during the morning hours, and we have a higher percentage of those members than a private health club would. Sevenich noted we can't fit any more of that group into some of the rooms, so we are learning how to spread them out into other classes. Bierman asked if the average is 2.7 people per membership. Sevenich said that is about the average. Bierman noted if there are about 2700 people involved now, that would mean 2000 membership units would be about 6000 people. FYI: Play Care FYI: Community Center Cafe FYI: Beaches Open June 7 Sevenich said the Play Care area opened today, and she is very excited about the coordinator running it. She said it has been very well received. Sevenich said the Community Center Cafe will open on June 9 and we will start with morning and evening hours. We are doing some sampling of wraps and sandwiches. Starting with the hockey season, we will be open all day on the weekends. Napuck asked what the hours are. Sevenich replied it is 8:00 to 12:00 in the morning. We are talking about doing a couple days at 5:30 AM,but it will be by member demand. Sevenich said the beaches will open on June 7. C. Parks and Natural Resources Manager PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 12 1. Award Bid for New Sidewalk Construction Projects Fox said there are illustrations in the packet so the Commission members can see where the sidewalk segments are located. These are in-fill segments on Rustic Hills Drive, Holly Road and Sunnybrook Road. He said there were two bidders, and both have done work for us in the past. He said the staff recommendation is to award the contract to Curb Masters Inc. Bierman asked if these bids were best value. Fox said this was strictly low bid; however, in cases where we have worked with the bidders in the past, we have no problem recommending them. Bierman asked if anyone could submit a bit. Fox said they would have to put in a bid bond. Lotthammer said the key term is "lowest responsible bidder." If we can determine they aren't qualified, yet they come in with the low bid, we do not have to accept that bid. He noted it is rare for that to happen. Bierman was pleased that we have some qualitative criteria to make a decision rather than just quantitative. Lotthammer said some bids that go out have specific qualifications,but that usually occurs when the project is more technical. Fox said bidders for the Edenbrook trails had to give a list of similar projects they had completed. We have specific amounts of insurance and bid bonds required. He was not worried about these projects which are more of a public works type. MOTION: Gerst moved, seconded by Jacobus, to recommend that the City Council award the bid for new sidewalk construction to Curb Masters Inc. in the amount of$32,477.50 for the construction of new sections of 5-foot wide sidewalk along Rustic Hills Drive, Holly Road and Sunnybrook Road. Motion carried 7-0. Elliott-Stoering asked if the property owners are notified. Fox said they will be notified. He noted this still has to go to the City Council for their approval. Once the Council approves it, we send letters out to each property owner affected. He said we are closing some driveways and replacing some aprons with this project. 2. Award Bid for Trail Overlay Projects Fox said there are existing trails along Anderson Lakes Parkway and Duck Lake Trail that have fallen into disrepair. The trails will require milling of the existing material and putting in new trails. He said this will be put out under the umbrella of Public Works. They give us money to redo the trails, so Parks Department operations money is not used except for the supervision of the project. He said staff is recommending we go with the bid from Midwest Asphalt out of the three bids submitted. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 13 MOTION: Elliott-Stoering moved, seconded by Bierman, to recommend that the City Council award the bid for trail reconstruction to Midwest Asphalt, Inc. in the amount of$39,870.50 for overlay work on segments of the 8-foot wide bike trail along Anderson Lakes Parkway and Duck Lake Trail. Motion carried 5-0. FYI: Birch Island Park Tree Planting Update FYI: Shade Tree Advocate Fox said the restoration at Birch Island Park was completed recently, and we will meet with Barr on Thursday to check it. They will have to restore the area that was mistakenly cleared. Trees were put in but in order to provide access, they left a 20- 25 feet wide corridor and moved the trees so it can't be viewed straight on. Planting was done around the storm water pond. Napuck noted it looks better. Elliott-Stoering asked about the plantings around the NURP pond. Fox said it is a type of wetland tree,but he was not sure what type of tree went in. Fox said the Shade Tree Advisory Committee keeps us informed of different urban forestry things going on around the metropolitan area. Brill asked for an update on Edenvale. Fox said we are picking rocks today, and we will then seed it. Brill asked about the basketball court. Fox said we will excavate the rain garden area first and then put on the final course of the parking lot, the basketball court and the walkway. It should all be done by mid-month. D. Parks and Recreation Director 1. 2008 Work Plan Lotthammer said we will give a presentation to the City Council on July 15. He will work with Ms Napuck to develop the Powerpoint presentation. 2. June 17— Council Workshop Lotthammer said the City Council has asked for an update on the Community Center at the workshop on June 17. We are currently working with RJM to get some of the financial information,but it will be another month or so before we are finished with the project. The Council wants to see where we are at dollar-wise. There have been quite a few expenses that weren't anticipated during the initial approval of the budget, including more soil remediation than expected and several other substantial expenses. We now have to get the City Council up to speed and ask them to approve a change order to the RJM contract. In addition to the extra expenses, there were additional revenue sources of about$200,000. He said we will walk through some of the changes and get feedback from the City Council. Most of the Council Members have been through the facility. He invited the PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION June 2, 2008 Page 14 Commission members to be a part of the workshop. Workshops are usually held in the Heritage Room at City Hall and dinner will be served. X. NEXT MEETING Lotthammer noted the next meeting will be on Monday, July 7 at Purgatory Creek Park at 5:30 PM. The Lambert Plaque will be unveiled at the pavilion and dinner will be served. Bob Lambert and his family will attend the event. We will have a bus tour of the parks after the dinner. Gerst asked about the status of recycling. Lotthammer said he will send the information he has to the Commission members. The Conservation Commission is looking at a couple of different events at which to do recycling. Gerst said last time we weren't sure the Conservation Commission was going to do anything. Lotthammer said it looks like they will. Gerst asked who is in charge of the satellites at Flying Cloud fields and if we could get another one in place south of Field 23. Fox said he will take a look at it. He noted it is possible they put one in the wrong place. XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Brill moved, seconded by Jacobus, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 7-0. Chair Napuck adjourned the meeting at 9:05 PM.