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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 01/08/2018 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY,JANUARY 8, 2018 7:00 P.M. CITY CENTER Heritage Rooms, 8080 Mitchell Road PRNR COMMISSION MEMBERS: Larry Link, Chair; Debra McBride, Vice Chair; Patrice Erickson, Donald Jacobson, Leonard Pesheck, John Rahman, Kirk Spresser STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: William Hemler, John Lindholm, Govind Makaram, Janvi Shah, 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 Josh Rockey, Recreation Facility Coordinator Doug Tucker, Recreation Specialist RECORDING SECRETARY: Jodie Fenske I. INTRODUCTIONS Chair Link called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Roll call was taken. Commission Members Rahman and Spresser and Student Representatives Hemler and Yoo were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion: Erickson moved, seconded by Jacobson, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF PRNR MINUTES Motion: McBride moved, seconded by Pesheck, to approve the December 4, 2017 minutes as presented. Motion carried 5-0. IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION Lotthammer reported Council recently approved the appointments of Council Members and Staff to various commissions, including two affecting PRNR. Forestry Technician Jacob Busiahn was appointed Assistant Weed Inspector. Under State Statute, the Mayor is the City Weed Inspector and the appointment of an Assistant Weed Inspector relieves the Mayor or City Council of those duties. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 8, 2018 Page 2 Council Member Butcher Wickstrom was appointed to the City and School Facilities Use Task Force. V. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION VI. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION A. HANDOUTS OF UPCOMING EVENTS Brink presented handouts of upcoming events. 1. Winter Blast Formerly known as Rock on Ice, this annual event will now be expanded to include snow activities in addition to ice skating. Sledding, skating, DJ, arts and crafts, outdoor games, rink activities, snowshoeing, bonfire, and the City's food truck will be available on Friday, January 26, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Staring Lake Park. 2. Father and Daughter Sweetheart Dance This annual dinner and dance event will be held on Saturday, February 10, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Garden Room at City Center. B. PARKS AND RECREATION EXPERIENCES Commission members shared recent experiences related to parks and recreation. Link enjoyed an evening viewing the super moon while biking through Staring Lake Park. Erickson noticed disc golfers playing on her way to the meeting tonight. Pesheck noticed disc golfers playing on a different cold night. Lotthammer stated the Community Center has been busy due to cold weather and New Year's resolutions. Verley stated 25 new memberships were initiated during the four hours the facility was open on New Year's Day. Makaram enjoyed a day at Miller Park with cousins visiting from California. Pesheck recently enjoyed ice fishing on Riley Lake. VII. NEW BUSINESS A. FACILITY RENTAL RECAP Brink introduced Josh Rockey and Doug Tucker who manage the park, facility, and room rentals of City rental property other than pools, ice, and athletic fields. Josh Rockey, Recreation Facility Coordinator, introduced himself and provided his educational background prior to starting at the Community Center in 2014. He explained the wide range of events held in City parks, including walk/runs, PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 8, 2018 Page 3 graduation parties, weddings, religious groups, and large-scale City events. In 2017, 20 different walk/runs were held (15 in Purgatory Creek Park) with a total of 5,500 runners participating. Rockey directly oversees 13 rentable park buildings which are limited to rental by Eden Prairie residents and businesses. He explained the differences amongst park facilities being size of group to be accommodated and amenities offered. In 2017, 400 separate rental groups earned revenue of$70,000. Rockey commended the part-time Customer Relation Leads who travel to different parks providing customer service to renters and ensuring permit rules are being followed. The Riley-Jacques Barn is by far the most popular rental location,providing approximately $19,000 in revenue in 2017. Sixty to eighty rentals are completed per year at this facility which is impressive considering the barn is closed 23 weeks per year for weather purposes. Rockey concluded his portion of the facility presentation with an overview of rentals available at the Community Center. There are ten rental rooms available, including the gym and dryland/training studio in the aquatics center. The largest and most popular area is the Cambria Room which can accommodate up to 90 people. In 2017, $60,000 in revenue was realized through approximately 500 user groups, including business networks, athletic associations, internal training groups, and non-profit organizations. Large events include the Noon Rotary's Pongfest, AM Rotary's Vino Classico, and the Baseball Association's Pancake Breakfast. Link inquired if the Riley-Jacques Barn is expensive to maintain. Rockey responded it is closed during the winter so it does not need to be heated and the water is turned off. In addition there is no air conditioning to be run in the summer. Erickson inquired and Rockey responded the City's food truck is currently not available for outside user group rental. It is available at larger City-sponsored outdoor events. Brink added the potential exists to dispatch the food truck to private events in the future. Doug Tucker, Recreation Specialist at the Senior Center, introduced himself and provided his educational background prior to starting with the City in 2011. The largest space available for rent at the Senior Center is the community room which can accommodate 90 people seated and also includes a kitchen area. The woodshop, classrooms, and a recently-renovated lounge are also available to rent. In 2017, approximately 350 rentals resulted in $40,000 in revenue. Amenities include audiovisual equipment, no restrictions on catering, ample parking, and coffee and water service. Outside amenities include a garden and the Pioneer Park playground and tennis/pickleball court. Three part-time dedicated staff members are available nights and weekends to set up, greet user groups, and remain onsite to provide customer service. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 8, 2018 Page 4 Marketing is provided by the City website, Senior Center newsletter, Parks and Recreation brochure, referrals from Rockey, and word of mouth. Lotthammer commended Rockey and Tucker on their abilities to provide personalized customer service and thanked them for being knowledgeable, dedicated, and helpful employees. Link inquired if most facilities are rented to capacity. Brink responded the department is successful in finding a balance between providing taxpayers with the ability to rent space along with providing ample space for City recreation programming. Monthly meetings are held during which programmers confer to determine this balance between optimal and reasonable requests. B. PRNR ACCOMPLISHMENTS PRESENTATION REVIEW Lotthammer provided a PowerPoint presentation outlining the Commission's 2017 accomplishments and the 2018 work plan. Chair Link will provide a similar presentation to Council on Tuesday, January 16, at which time all City commissions present accomplishments from the previous year. Lotthammer acknowledged Commission's involvement and input to improved processes at the Community Center. Improvements were made to fitness operations, Passport to Fun financial assistance program accessibility, marketing and promotion, and development of The Cage and other dryland activities. Input has allowed the facility to accommodate more users and to reach a higher level as far as an athletic training facility. He noted Commission input on better ways to recognize sponsorships resulted in an increase to $61,519 in 2017, up from $36,711 in 2016. Other accomplishments included color and design input toward Rice Marsh Lake park playground equipment and Riley Lake Park construction, as well as Outdoor Center signage and master plan concept implementations. Commission was involved in environmental management and advancements, including shade tree ordinance, fruit tree donations, pest control, pollinator friendly resolution, and aquatic species control. Commission made visits to several park locations as well as to the Art Center, Senior Center and Outdoor Center. An overview of building maintenance was led by Facility Supervisors Joan Karst and Dzevad Mahmutovic. Arts and culture aspects were improved by the initiation of the temporary sculpture program and public art on utility boxes. The Commission provided input for future pickleball court configurations and entertained public input and provided feedback regarding the Staring Lake dog park and ski trail for different users. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 8, 2018 Page 5 Lotthammer also presented a 2018 work plan, noting it will fill in as the year progresses and additional topics arise. Highlights for 2018 will include past and planned bike and pedestrian trail updates, and continued joint meetings with the Conservation and Heritage Preservation Commissions. He anticipates requesting continued input on the South West Light Rail Transit(SWLRT)project, specifically public art,plazas, and bike and pedestrian paths. The debut of the temporary art structures is expected in spring. Lotthammer states he is hoping to receive input on public art and continue the project with the assistance of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant. Grand openings are being planned at Riley Lake Park, Cedar Hills Park, and the softball fields at Round Lake Park. Lotthammer stated staff will meet this week to fine tune the accomplishment list and provide an update to Link prior to his presentation to Council next week. VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES The Commission previously discussed having a set of guidelines for citizen participants and Commission members to benefit all parties and allow for productive and respectful meetings. Stated concerns included the length of time devoted to topics, the orderly transition of speakers, management of Commission Members' questions, and role clarification. Under consideration of the State's Open Meeting Law, McBride developed two draft guidelines and provided them to Commission for review and discussion. One draft is a guideline for Commission members and the second draft is to be distributed to participants whenever members of the community ask to speak at a Commission meeting. Guidelines for participants include designating a spokesperson, stating name and address prior to presenting, condensing presentation to three to five minutes, and respecting opposing viewpoints. McBride suggested guidelines could be provided on City's web site. Commissioner guidelines include listing public participation at top of agenda, setting and announcing time limitations for public speaking, allowing Chair to address and ask questions of public participants, and handling topics that may require further investigation and those that may require a vote. Erickson suggested the Chair should designate another Commission member to time the presentations. Jacobson suggested participants provide a handout to Commission members in advance of meeting if possible. Commission members thanked McBride and commended her for creating the guidelines. McBride will incorporate Commission suggestions and provide updated guidelines at the next meeting. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 8, 2018 Page 6 IX. REPORTS OF STAFF A. RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER 1. Registration Demonstration Brink provided a demonstration of the RecTrac registration program, including updating account information, creating a household calendar, and refining the search function. B. PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER C. COMMUNITY CENTER MANAGER 1. Readers Choice Awards Verley announced the Community Center was the recipient of the Sun Current Readers' Choice Award for Best Fitness Center, Best Indoor Waterpark, and Best Recreational Center. She provided a copy of a large ad that will be placed in the Sun Current to thank those that voted. The designation will be used to market the facility. D. PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR 1. 2018 PRNR Work Plan Lotthammer provided an updated 2018 important dates/work plan handout to Commission members. He urged Commission members to provide additional topics at any time. Commission members were invited to attend the Council Workshop at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 16, at which time all Commissions will present 2017 accomplishments to the Council. X. NEXT MEETING There will be no Commission meeting in February due to a conflict with a Council meeting. The next PRNR Commission meeting will be held on Monday, March 5 at 7 p.m., in the Cambria Room at the Community Center, 16700 Valley View Road. XI. ADJOURNMENT Motion: McBride motioned, seconded by Jacobson, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. Chair Link adjourned the meeting at 9:00 p.m.