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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 03/06/2017 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2017 7:00 P.M., HERITAGE ROOMS 8080 Mitchell Road, Lower Level, City Center PRNR COMMISSION MEMBERS: Larry Link, Chair; Debra McBride, Vice Chair; Donald Jacobson, Matt Pellowski, Leonard Pesheck, Kirk Spresser STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: William Hemler, Kirsten Johnson, Phillip Kuhn, Conner Reding, Stefan Wenc, James Yoo CITY STAFF: Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director Matt Bourne, Parks and Natural Resources Manager Lori Brink, Recreation Manager Valerie Verley, Community Center Manager Andrea Kalligher, Marketing and Community Center Youth Services Recreation Supervisor RECORDING SECRETARY: Jodie Fenske L ROLL CALLANTRODUCTIONS Link called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Roll call was taken. Commission Members McBride and Pellowski were absent. Student Representatives Reding and Wenc were absent. Courtney Kendall, Recreation and Special Events Intern, was introduced. Her internship with the City through mid-July will complete her degree at Winona State University. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion: Pesheck moved, seconded by Jacobson, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 4-0. III. APPROVAL OF PRNR MINUTES Motion: Spresser moved, seconded by Pesheck, to approve the February 6, 2017 minutes as presented. Motion carried 4-0. IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION Lotthammer notified the Commission of information he intends to provide at the March 8, 2017 City Council meeting. Since the aquatics center at the Community Center is now complete, a total review of additional expenses and change orders is currently being PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION March 6, 2017 Page 2 performed with the construction manager, RJM Construction (RJM). As previously reported, as soon as the project began, additional expenses were realized. Therefore, on April 15, 2015, Council was made aware of these additional expenses, which included a beam needed between the buildings to make them interact properly. This beam was not indicated on the original architectural drawings. The City has come to an agreement with RJM, who will cover some of the costs;however, the City also remains responsible to cover some of the additional costs. Staff and the City's attorney have reviewed the contract with RJM, as well as all items that were additional expenses realized throughout the project. A change order in the amount of$747,447 has been determined still owed to RJM and is what Lotthammer will present to Council on March 8, 2017. Spresser inquired and Lotthammer informed the amount is approximately 4% of the total project cost. In addition, approximately $262,000 in cost savings was realized due to changes made throughout the project. Staff has met in closed sessions with the Council under an attorney-client privilege situation. This will assist in future negotiations since the City is still working with the architect to determine if they will recognize some of their errors. Lotthammer also reported on actions recently taken by the City Council. A resolution was adopted to accept a $1,000 donation from Park Dental Eden Prairie towards the Starring at Staring Concert Series. Another resolution was adopted to accept a $400 gift from the Eden Prairie Lions Club for the purchase of water testing equipment for the Staring Lake Outdoor Center. Council amended the professional services agreement with Weitzman Studios, Inc. for fabrication of bridge pier form liners related to the Light Rail Transit(LRT) project. A contract was awarded to Finley Bros., Inc. for Miller Park outdoor hockey rink repairs. Finley was also awarded a contract for Round Lake Park tennis court resurfacing. A resolution was adopted regarding the purchase of four parcels of tax-forfeited property from Hennepin County for$187 per parcel. Lotthammer explained Bourne periodically reviews the list provided by Hennepin County to determine if any property is park- purposeful or adjacent to a park. V. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION Bourne reported on action recently taken by the City Council affecting the Commission. A public hearing was held to split a residential lot into two lots near Staring Lake Park. A minor housekeeping correction was made to the recently amended Tree Ordinance regarding a cap of$250,000 credit for preserving heritage trees. VI. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION A. HANDOUTS OF UPCOMING EVENTS PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION March 6, 2017 Page 3 1. Eden Prairie Ice Show Verley reported the 35h annual ice show will take place on March 24 at 7 p.m., March 25 at 2 p.m., and March 26 at 5 p.m. The show, presented by the Eden Prairie Figure Skating Club, will feature a Prince tribute and hits from Hairspray, Beauty and the Beast, Annie, and Hamilton. 2. Flick `n' Float Verley informed the last of three winter Flick and Float movie nights will take place on Friday, March 31, with the showing of Finding Nemo. The program will continue with three movie nights planned for fall. 3. Almost Springy Lunch Brink reported the Almost Spring Lunch at the Senior Center will take place on Wednesday, March 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. A spaghetti lunch will be provided, as well as musical entertainment. City firefighters will be on hand to help with lunch and talk about the Home Safety Program. B. PARKS AND RECREATION EXPERIENCES Lotthammer introduced Intern Courtney Kendall who is based out of the Art Center but interning at the Community Center as well. She witnessed the recent indoor triathlon and shared some of her observations, specifically the first finisher staying to support all participants through to the last finisher. Pesheck inquired and Bourne responded garbage bins in the parks typically get set out in early April. He noted although residents are enjoying the parks with the warm weather, organized sports are not allowed on fields until the City has determined the soil temperature is acceptable, typically by May 1. Link noted witnessing progress at Cedar Hills Park. Bourne informed the bridge was completed last fall and site amenities and restoration will begin this spring. Jacobson informed the Commission about the Polar Plunge taking place next Saturday at Riley Lake Park. VII. NEW BUSINESS A. MARKETING AND COMMUNITY CENTER YOUTH SERVICES Lotthammer introduced and commended Andrea Kalligher, who has worked for the City in numerous capacities for almost 19 years, most recently supporting marketing and promotional efforts, as well as youth services, at the Community Center. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION March 6, 2017 Page 4 Kalligher presented information regarding several marketing areas she oversees. Within the Parks and Recreation program guide, community events flyers, specialty summer and winter events flyers, as well as periodic adult athletics information is created. Several additional publications are used to advertise summer camps, including Destination Summer and a preview to summer camps, allowing families to prepare earlier than in previous years. She outlined email subscribers by area of interest, which included general Community Center information with 5,635 subscribers; aquatics with 2,870 subscribers; youth activities with 1,875 subscribers; and Community Center membership information with 4,328 subscribers. Additional marketing strategies include Facebook, Instagram and the Community Center website. Peachjar is used to automatically upload digital images of flyers throughout the year to families of ECFE (Early Childhood and Family Education) and EPS (Eden Prairie Schools) students. This service is much less expensive than the previous process of distributing paper flyers to school-age students. Spresser inquired if ads in the program guide to offset costs are allowed. Kalligher and Brink responded some may be allowed but haven't been sought in order to keep the number of pages manageable. The bulk rate of mailing also limits the types of ads allowed. Kalligher also presented information on youth services she oversees, including Child Playcare and Fit Kids Club. Fit Kids Club is available for children age six years through eleven years. Kalligher continued with information on birthday parties which are offered at the Community Center (swim, skate, and open gym options), Outdoor Center, and Art Center for up to 15 children. She explained the department has recently switched from staff-hosted parties to self-service parties which are parent supervised and parent led. Additional youth services include tot time, tot skate and tot swim. A grant was received in 2016 to upgrade the equipment used for tot time. Pesheck inquired and the student representatives responded Instagram and Twitter are the best social media avenues to reach their age group. Kalligher responded opportunities are already marketed on both mediums. VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION Brink presented the 2017 City Sponsorship Opportunities flyer which outlines opportunities to sponsor large-scale and targeted community events. Pursuant to PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION March 6, 2017 Page 5 Commission recommendations, the Communications Department is currently designing a"proud supporter" icon for sponsors to place on their website. A colored certificate, suitable for framing, is also being developed for sponsors to display. She thanked the Commission for its feedback. IX. REPORTS OF STAFF A. COMMUNITY CENTER MANAGER Link inquired and Verley responded about timing of the annual lap-lane pool closures for cleaning and maintenance to meet code requirements. She explained the closures are strategically scheduled during the two weeks around Eden Prairie Schools' spring break since the high school and Team Foxjet seasons are completed prior to that time. During the closures, the pools will be drained, cleaned, and refilled. Broken tiles will be replaced. Lanes in either pool will remain available. Members are also offered the option to swim in the pool at the Williston Fitness Center in Minnetonka. The Community Center recreation pool will remain open during the two-week period and cleaning of that pool will take place in August. Spresser inquired and Verley responded summer is not a choice time to close the lap pools because Team Foxjet is in season throughout the summer and the EPHS girls swim team begins practice in August. B. RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER Brink provided an update on events that took place in February. The Valentine's Day breakfast at the Senior Center was attended by 65 people. Fifty attendees participated in the President's Day event which was a partnership between the Girl Scouts and the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Campaign. The Eden Prairie Players winter play, a Neil Simon comedy, experienced a slight decline in attendance,perhaps due to warm weather one weekend and anticipated snow the following weekend. Ticket prices were raised slightly this year. Monitoring will take place to determine if the hike affects attendance. C. PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER Bourne provided a presentation on the impact the Light Rail Transit(LRT) construction will have on Purgatory Creek Park. His diagrams indicated where the alignments will be,how the park will be affected during construction, and how the design of the park will be impacted long term. He displayed a map illustrating the LRT route and anticipated closures. The major impact will be due to the elevated track. Staging of equipment will take place in a triangle area at the corner of Prairie Center Drive and Technology Drive. Signage will be provided indicating trail closures and diverted routes through the park. He also displayed the restoration plan, including a shift in the trail and replaced landscaping, after the LRT project is completed. Parking will remain intact throughout the project. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION March 6, 2017 Page 6 Utility work is anticipated at the end of 2017 and construction of the tracks in 2018. Yoo inquired and Bourne responded soil issues have been addressed and will include installation of pilings due to wet soil concerns. D. PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR Lotthammer presented an updated 2017 PRNR Work Plan indicating the joint meeting with the Conservation Commission will take place at the Outdoor Center on May 1. The meeting will include discussion of lake management,pollinator friendly issues, Outdoor Center signage and Master Plan update, as well as a tour of the Outdoor Center. Link inquired and Lotthammer responded staff has met with representatives from Southwest Metro Pickleball but no major fundraising announcements have been made. X. NEXT MEETING Next PRNR Meeting—Monday, April 3 at 7 p.m., Heritage Rooms XI. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Spresser moved, seconded by Pesheck, to adjourn the meeting at 8:55 p.m. Motion carried 4-0.