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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity and School Facility Use Advisory Committee - 04/29/2015 MEETING NOTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY,APRIL 29, 2015 7:00 P.M., EDEN PRAIRIE COMMUNITY CENTER— Cambria Room, 16700 Valley View Road COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Larry Link, Chair-Parks and Recreation Commission Elaine Larabee, Vice Chair - School Board Sherry Butcher-Wickstrom - City Council Sharon Peterson - Community Ed Advisory Council Lisa Lieberman -EPHS Booster Club STAFF: Mike Grant, High School Activities Director Ricardo Jones, High School Activities Coordinator Shawn Hoffman-Bram, Director of Community Education Cheryl Bridge, Facilities Coordinator Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director Lori Brink, Recreation Manager Valerie Verley, Community Center Operations Kori Shingles, Recreation Supervisor Heidi Wojahn, Recorder L CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Lotthammer called the meeting to order at 7:53 p.m. following introductions and a tour of the Eden Prairie Community Center (EPCC) Aquatics Expansion accompanied by representatives from RJM Construction. Committee members Link, Butcher-Wickstrom, and Peterson were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA No quorum. III. MINUTES No quorum. IV. ITEMS OF BUSINESS A. EDEN PRAIRIE COMMUNITY CENTER(EPCC)AQUATICS EXPANSION TOUR —Jay This item took place prior to the meeting being called to order. B. EPCC AQUATIC UPGRADES UPDATE —Jay This item took place prior to the meeting being called to order. CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES April 29, 2015 Page 2 During the tour, Lotthammer explained the layout and various physical and aesthetic features of the aquatics expansion and how they will blend with the existing facility. The addition will house pools, a studio, fitness and training areas, locker rooms, office space, and food concessions. C. 2014 SCHOONER DAYS AND FUTURE EVENT PLANNING—Lori/Val Verley explained some fitness classes will be moved or cancelled Thursday and Friday of Schooner Days, and adult softball games will be held across the street from EPCC. This should help alleviate traffic flow and parking issues resulting from space lost due to the construction. Brink noted baseball playoffs are scheduled for the same weekend and we need to be prepared for all scenarios in the event Eden Prairie High School (EPHS)is top seed. Jones has met with EPCC staff and police for planning purposes. People will potentially have to park a ways out. A carnival will occupy the parking lot while the fields serve as a softball tournament venue. EPHS students will be asked to park one lot further away Wednesday-Friday of that week. Verley said signage, barricades and parking attendants on-site will help manage the flow of traffic. Brink stressed the importance of being proactive and keeping the lines of communication open. Grant said busses can be used to shuttle visitors if parking becomes problematic. D. HENNEPIN YOUTH SPORTS GRANT UPDATE —Jay/Mike/Ricardo Lotthammer announced the receipt of equipment grants in the amount of$7,000 each for dryland training and soccer nets. The City also received $40,000 for playground equipment for kids with disabilities at Camp Edenwood. CH Robinson is matching it with an additional $40,000. Grant said the Football Association (FA) helped write a grant on behalf of the District for $120,000 to light field A just to the left of the dome field. FA also put $60,000-$70,000 toward the project. The marching band benefits greatly from having the field lit as well. Unfortunately nobody anticipated where the electricity to power the lights would come from so the project cost is about $35,000 over budget. The best plan is to tap into power from inside the school. The District has indicated they have no funds to allocate to this. Other fundraising avenues are being pursued. The project is on hold until more money can be generated, but it could be complete as early as beginning-to-mid July. E. MAYOR'S HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMMITTEE UPDATE - Jay Lotthammer reported Verley has been working with the fitness lead on setting up free outdoor fitness activities. There are offerings for people of all ages spread geographically throughout the area. The committee has procured enough sponsorship dollars to change the healthy-options food truck concept into a food CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES April 29, 2015 Page 3 trailer. It will be strategically placed throughout the community at special events and local parks. Nutritionists have written articles for the newspaper, the community garden program continues to thrive, and the edible garden program in conjunction with Prairie View Elementary and the summer playground program has taken off. Some teachers have even integrated it into their math and science curriculum. F. 2015 SPRING/SUMMER FIELD USAGE UPDATE —Val/Ricardo Verley stated last night was the first time adult softball was played on the new Riley fields. They are lit and have 300-foot fences. Section softball will be played at Miller at the end of May. The City preps the field for sectionals and the District maintains them in between games. Youth association tournaments for 2015 are the same as in past years with one exception: the Soccer Club has opted to discontinue hosting the State Cup this year because the event did not yield adequate income. The reduction in play here will help the fields rest more, and the event will return to Isanti. Fast-pitch and baseball tournaments have been added this year in August. Jones said the softball and lacrosse teams have benefitted this season from being able to get on the fields immediately following spring break. The dome was dismantled yesterday so an additional field is available now. Rugby is back this year with semi-weekly practices and three or four home games. They have been good about not using the fields if it rains. There are no plans at this time to shut down any grass fields this summer, however the three turf fields do need to shut down for about three days for repair and cleaning. Fields will be used for the standard camps this summer. Relay for Life is moving from Central Middle School back to EPHS this year. They will also host the Prairie Cup and a tournament this summer. Grant said due to unique circumstances with the Metrodome, the Vikings new stadium, and TCF stadium, the prep bowl is early this year. Because of the earlier start to the season, the football team will play three games before school begins. There were issues with lights cutting out at the Lacrosse game last night due to an electrical problem with the on-site tower the District leases for cell usage. It caused a half-hour game delay. This, in turn, prompted noise complaints from neighbors because the video display board generated loud sounds later into the evening than usual. G. CITY FIELD CONSTRUCTION UPDATES —Jay Field 8 on the south end of Miller Park is the best baseball field next to Round Lake. The City is working with the Baseball Association to reduce excess blacktop in that area. It will be redesigned to include more shade structures with tables underneath and additional shade structures behind the backstop and over the bleachers. This should make the area visually pop and create a better spectator experience. CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES April 29, 2015 Page 4 Construction on the Round Lake fields is a year out. The four fields there are too small and close to 30 years old. They will be replaced with three better, longer fields which will also free up room to expand parking. This is needed as the splash pad and play structure are popular features which have attracted more visitors. Brink mentioned the soccer fields at Miller are in the middle of a six-year cycle. Lotthammer explained last year field 9 was taken out of play to re-do the drainage, irrigation, and some of the field base. It needs this year to grow. When ready, field 10 will come down followed by field 11. Each will be out of play for two years since construction takes a year and a year of growth follows. Staggered maintenance allows the fields to drain properly and makes for better play. Grant said turf technology is continually evolving with the fabrication and design of the fibers and how the sun affects them. The turf fields are eight years old now and starting to show wear, but the overall condition is good. They have held up well and the other grass fields have improved because of their existence. H. 2014 CITY/SCHOOL FEES AND CHARGES - All School Facilities Used by the City: Verley explained charges are presented in a 5- year comparison format in order to show growth and how things trend. She pointed out the auditorium rental for a seminar program in 2010 was a one-time use which is why no charges are reflected for the past four years. Hoffman-Bram said she was asked to pass along there will be an evaluation and discussion on behalf of the District in terms of Oak Point fees. They are losing money on the overhead due to pool maintenance costs. She asked if they could expect any changes in Oak Point Pool usage with the opening of the new aquatics center. Lotthammer said he expects there will still be a demand for Oak Point from the Foxj ets swim club. EPHS also uses Oak Point quite a bit, but there may be a decrease in swim lessons. City Facilities Used by the School District: Verley reported a slight decrease in fees for both boys and girls high school swim and diving teams. There was a jump in fees for Round Lake Baseball Stadium because additional lighting was needed for more tournament games. She noted the discontinuation of the cross country camp which eliminated fees at Staring Lake Park. Everything else remains fairly consistent. I. OTHER Grant inquired about the telescope at Staring Lake. Lotthammer said usage is as much as they had hoped for. It gets used on astronomy nights and during certain celestial events, sometimes in the middle of the night. WCCO Meteorologist Mike Lynch conducts most stargazing nights. Brink mentioned one particular evening when a couple dozen people were expected. Fox 9 advertised the event and suddenly attendance skyrocketed. CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES April 29, 2015 Page 5 V. NEXT MEETING A. MEETING DATE The next CSFAC meeting will be Wednesday, November 11, 7 p.m. A room in the new aquatics area was discussed as a possible meeting location. B. DISCUSSION ITEMS No items were brought forth at this time. VI. OTHER None. VIL ADJOURNMENT Lotthammer adjourned the meeting at 8:35 p.m.