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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity and School Facility Use Advisory Committee - 12/07/2016 APPROVED MINUTES CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2016 7:00 P.M. EDEN PRAIRIE COMMUNITY CENTER Aquatics Room 110 16700 Valley View Road, Eden Prairie COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Larry Link, Chair; Parks and Recreation Commission Elaine Larabee, Vice Chair; School Board Sherry Butcher-Wickstrom, City Council Open, Community Ed Advisory Council Lisa Lieberman, HS Booster Club COMMITTEE STAFF: Mike Grant, High School Activities Director Andrew Rothschafer, 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 Manager Kori Shingles, Recreation Supervisor Kristin Harley, Recorder I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Larry Link called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. following introductions. Staff members Bridge and Brink, and Committee members Butcher-Wickstrom and Lieberman, were absent, and there was no representative from the Community Education Advisory Council. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The agenda was not approved due to lack of a quorum. Discussion followed on this issue. Verley asked if there was a Community Education Advisory Council member. Hoff man- Bram replied that there was not and might not be one in the future, as the council was being revamped by her and would not retain its hierarchy (e.g., of a chairperson). Verley asked for clarification as to whether that meant that this group did not have quorum. Lotthammer replied that there were only two Committee members present, which meant that the group indeed did not have quorum to approve this meeting's agenda and the minutes from the last meeting. City-School Facility Meeting Minutes December 7, 2016 Page 2 Grant noted that in the past this Committee, without a quorum, would table the approval of the agenda and minutes, and then conduct the meeting following the unapproved agenda. At the following meeting, the group would then "catch up" by approving the past meeting's agenda and minutes along with the current ones. Verley stated that she had not seen true action items in some time, and Larabee agreed that she had not seen any while serving as a committee member. Hoffman-Bram suggested that there may need to be a reevaluation of the protocol of this Committee, because she felt that she did not have the right to vote on certain items, for example fees on behalf of the school district, without advice from leadership and the School Board. She and Grant noted that they had both questioned this Committee's power. Grant clarified that such items were not actually voted on but reviewed by the Committee which would then make a recommendation or a suggestion to the City Council, the School Board, etc. The point was not to vote on items, e.g. to set fees, but to come together and ensure their consistency. He noted that there were some issues in the past that had been controversial, for example when Park and Recreation staff wished to recommend an item and the committee did not, and thus did not advance to the City Council. Lotthammer noted and Grant concurred that Committee staff has never voted on action items. There was general agreement on this fact. Lotthammer noted that even without a quorum, having these meetings gave him the opportunity to go back to the Parks Commission and tell them what transpired from the discussion, what the thinking was, etc., which the Parks Commission could then analyze and make a recommendation to the City Council. Therefore, a formal vote was not necessary to bring forward a discussion. Larabee stated that she had never had the impression that any items at these meetings she would have to take back to the School Board, but would work with their business manager to set fees, for example. Grant reiterated that the votes by Committee members did carry some weight, but were suggestions. Also, this Committee could look at and revise founding documents. He stressed the value of Eden Prairie committees communicating to each other what they were doing and what was happening at various facilities. Lotthammer added that it was important that committees mirror each other's policies. Discussion followed on how rugby and lacrosse came up as a discussion items between various committees every year, and how the information was beneficial. Grant stated that the Committee could not approve the agenda or the minutes without a quorum, but could still conduct the meeting and then approve items at a later meeting with quorum. Larabee suggested that it may be valuable to reiterate to the Committee members that their presence was important, despite the infrequency of these meetings, and to convey in the invitation the need for a quorum. Lotthammer agreed. Grant offered to recruit a new HS Booster Club member, as Lieberman was City-School Facility Meeting Minutes December 7, 2016 Page 3 questioning her value and may have withdrawn now that her children were grown. Shingles asked if there were four Committee members needed for quorum, and Lotthammer and Larabee noted that a majority—at least three members—were needed. Grant suggested looking at recruiting other representative groups in light of the restructuring of the Community Education Advisory Council. Larabee asked if there would be a replacement committee for this, and Hoffman-Bram replied that a Community Engagement and Impact Council was being started with many of the current members Community Education Advisory Council. She could look into the possibility of having a representative from the Community Engagement and Impact Council at this (CSFUA) Committee, but there would be no formal Community Engagement and Impact Council board, and no formal requirement of a representative. Grant stated that he had suggested a Booster representative, but it was not required. Larabee noted that having parental representation from the community was important. Lotthammer stated that any good community members should have some community engagement, such as having children involved in activities, etc. Link asked for clarification that there was no longer any Community Education Advisory Council, and Hoffman-Bram replied that it was now called the Community Engagement and Impact Council for the time being; the body was reorganizing. Larabee added that there were substantial programming changes so that "community education" no longer seemed relevant to community needs. She added that the Strategic Plan was looking toward community engagement, and the body was partnering more with businesses and community organizations. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes were not approved due to a lack of a quorum. IV. ITEMS OF BUSINESS A. HENNEPIN YOUTH SPORTS GRANT UPDATE Verley gave an update on the Hennepin Use Sports Grant 2017 cycle. Applications were due in November, 2016. Similar to past cycles, there was a facilities grant which was time intensive in terms of information gathering, and an equipment grant which was more straightforward but lucrative. All groups who applied are waiting to hear whether or not their grants will be awarded for 2017. The facilities grant applied for by the Eden Prairie Community Center was for a dry-land training area (flooring, wall-mounted fitness stations, etc.) in an open concrete space that became available behind Rink Two, and the equipment grant would supply equipment for that new space. City-School Facility Meeting Minutes December 7, 2016 Page 4 Grant asked if baseball applied for any grants for 2017, and Shingles replied that baseball applied for an equipment grant for lighting around Lake Stadium, batting mats, a pitching warmup area, and wood screens. She added that lacrosse applied for some lacrosse schools. Verley stated that grant awards were typically announced in the first quarter of the new year. Lotthammer stated that the Finance Committee met this day and while he did not have details, but the awards may be unofficially announced on December 13, 2016. Discussion followed on the source of the funding (Hennepin County taxes) and on past grants awarded. Larabee stated that this was an example of good information from this committee to take back to the School Board, which she would not have were she not attending these meetings. B. EDEN PRAIRIE COMMUNITY CENTER AQUATIC UPDATE Verley stated that construction of the Aquatic Center was officially completed. She walked the committee through the timeline: The Aquatics Center was approved in 2014. The groundbreaking was held in June, 2014. Construction began in August, 2014. The Parks and Recreation Commission toured the facility in February, 2015. Phase I opened in July, 2015. Swim Jitzu, the first special event, was held on August 15, 2015. The first high school swim and dive meet was held on September 3, 2015. The Sydney Galleger Pool dedication was held on November 23, 2015. Phase 11 construction started on December 3, 2015. The Community Center staff toured the facility on February 15, 2016. The indoor triathlon was held on March 6, 2016. A logrolling tournament was held, and logrolling programming will be offered in the future. The opening ceremony was May 9, 2016. On April 1, 2016 the recreation pool (Phase 11) opened. Verley also described the fitness expansion, the warm water pools, and the dry land training room. The Center is being utilized by residents of all ages. Swim lesson capacity has increased, as has the number of senior memberships. There is also a scuba program, and capacity for meetings and staff trainings in the meeting room. The Facilities Maintenance and Training Team operates as another division within this facility. The Center has received rave reviews of Phases I and 11. The number of family memberships has increased. Discussion followed on whether or not there was a swimming requirement in high school, and the consequences for public safety of not having one. City-School Facility Meeting Minutes December 7, 2016 Page 5 C. 2016 SPRING/SUMMER FIELD USAGE UPDATE Rothschafer passed out three sets of paperwork. The first packet was a list of charges indicating the different rates for each facility. Group A rates are for associations located within Eden Prairie; Group B rate are for Eden Prairie residents or nonprofits; Group C rates are for nonprofits located outside of Eden Prairie, and Group D rates are for for-profits outside of Eden Prairie. These rates are valid between September 1, 2016 and August 30, 2017. The second packet included the Facility Location Usage statistics by Eden Prairie High School (Fields C, D E, F, Stadium Turf Field, and Turfs A and B) from March 1, 2016 and August 31, 2016. The third was statistics of facility use by Central Middle School's (CMS) east, west, and stadium fields. 265.5 total hours were rented out for school functions, baseball, track and field, soccer, flag football, and by outside renters. Usage trends and percentages show that most of the fields are being used predominantly by Eden Prairie residents and organizations. Lotthammer asked why the baseball association did not get charged as indicated by the CMS chart. Grant replied that the baseball teams actually care for the fields instead of groundskeepers. Larabee asked if the track at CMS was being used as well, and Rothschafer replied that it was difficult to differentiate use of the field versus only the track. Larabee stated that she now had information for the School Board when they voted on long-term facility maintenance funding as to why the track at CMS needed to be repaired (due to it being rented out), and would be able to show the Board how these rentals generate revenue. This again pointed to the value of this Committee's discussions. Rothschafer pointed out that packet #2 (Eden Prairie High School usage statistics) showed 2,910.25 hours of usage, most by Eden Prairie entities, that generated $46,494.56 in revenue. Larry Link observed that national flag football was not charged, and Hoffman- Bram pointed out that this was a community education activity. The subsequent pages of packet#2 broke down the usage: Turf A (652.25 hours, $21,778.36 in revenue) Turf B (542 hours, $13,244.35 in revenue) Stadium Turf Field (779.5 hours, $20,393.80 in revenue) The last page of packet#2 showed the total of usage hours and revenue generated by Grass Fields C, D, E, and F combined, with a total of 949.5 hours and $6,610.26 in revenue. Rothschafer noted that the revenue versus the hours might not appear to add up due to usage by community education or student activities, since student rates were so low. This report also did not include the City-School Facility Meeting Minutes December 7, 2016 Page 6 dome, the largest revenue generator, but Rothschafer stated that he could get that information to the committee. Ball fields: Shingles reported that she coordinates all adult sports leagues, and works with youth associations, the high school, various associations, and with Eden Prairie residents to schedule the fields. Eden Prairie ball fields and parks in the spring and summer are almost constantly busy with programs. She talks with the field schedulers weekly and works with parks maintenance. There were eight tournaments this year during the summer, and every weekend in July Miller Park was utilized. Leagues: 103 softball teams during the summer session and 63 teams in fall utilized Round Lake Park, and the spring-summer league utilized this park until just after the Fourth of July. Strategic scheduling allowed the playoffs to be completed with the three available fields (two at Riley Lake Park and Round Lake Field #5). The numbers were high despite the decline in softball nationwide. Turf fields: Youth associations and the soccer club had seven tournaments and clinics. There were 22 rentals. Most of the usage is from Eden Prairie based groups, and the emphasis is on serving those in the community over outside rentals. The fields and parks are very busy and cannot accommodate all those who wish to use them. Reservations are on a first-come, first-serve basis. D. CITY FIELD CONSTRUCTION UPDATES 1. Miller Lotthammer reported that the parking lot at baseball Field #8 was in need to reconstruction, and that behind it there was blacktop which would be demolished to create a soft-surface plaza by next spring. Three soccer fields were being worked on one at a time on a rotating basis to create better drainage and soils to replace the old soil that had settled. (Flying Cloud field is an example of a field that has rippled from use, making the completion of these fields urgent.)The second was seeded this year, and after seeding each must then sit for a year on a two-year cycle. 2. Round Lake A roof will be put on the pavilion, and traffic flow improved through the area for safety and access to the picnic area. The number of parking spaces will be increased. City-School Facility Meeting Minutes December 7, 2016 Page 7 3. Miracle Field At Flying Cloud Field, the field closest to the airport received a rubberized surface. This was the first year the surface was used, and it was a great success. One of the programming innovations pairs children with disabilities or challenges with high school "buddies," also to great success. Other communities, including Minnetonka, have been using this "buddy" system. Response from parents is overwhelmingly positive. E. 2017 CITY/SCHOOL FEES & CHARGES 1. EPCC Pool and Ice Verley presented an Excel spreadsheet of rental fees for the ice rink and the pool, which will increase $5.00 for 2017, as it does every year. The groups that use these facilities are aware of the increase. The pool charges in particular are meant to incrementally increase to ultimately align with market values; a previous study had shown that the pool's fees were low with regard to the market. F. OTHER The Truth in Taxation hearing at the Eden Prairie School Board is Monday, December 12, 2016. The Long Term facility Usage meeting will be held at the School Board as well (as mentioned by Larabee earlier). There will be a Master Plan update on the Staring Lake center. The observatory is being used by both the public and by students at CMS. VI. DISCUSSION OF ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING A. Proposed Next Meeting Date: March 29, 2017, Eden Prairie Performing Arts Center The plan is for a quick tour of performing arts center beforehand; Committee members and staff shall meet in the foyer. B. DISCUSSION ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING Quorum and approval of past and current minutes and agendas. VI. OTHER City-School Facility Meeting Minutes December 7, 2016 Page 8 VII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m.