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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 01/07/2019 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY,JANUARY 7, 2019 7:00 P.M. CITY CENTER Heritage Rooms, 8080 Mitchell Road PRNR COMMISSION MEMBERS: Larry Link, Chair; Debra McBride, Vice Chair; Cecilia Cervantes, Patrice Erickson, Donald Jacobson, Andy McGlasson, Leonard Pesheck, John Rahman, Kirk Spresser CITY STAFF: Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director Lori Brink, Recreation Manager Matt Bourne, Parks and Natural Resources Manager Valerie Verley, Community Center Manager STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Carson Guettler, Tatum Gunderson, John Hilton, Nile Timmerman, Ananya Vegesna RECORDING SECRETARY: Jodie Fenske I. INTRODUCTIONS Chair Link called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Roll call was taken. Vice Chair McBride and Commission Members Cervantes and Spresser were absent. Student Representative Nile Timmerman was absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion: McGlasson moved, seconded by Rahman, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 6-0. III. APPROVAL OF PRNR MINUTES Motion: Erickson moved, seconded by McGlasson, to approve the December 3, 2018 minutes as presented. Motion carried 6-0. IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION Lotthammer noted tomorrow night, January 8, the new Mayor and Councilmembers will be sworn in at the first City Council meeting of 2019. With the election of Ron Case as Mayor, his Council seat is now vacant so the Council will decide how to proceed on filling that seat. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MEETING January 7, 2019 Page 2 A. COMMUNITY GARDEN LEASE Lotthammer reported the lease for the parcel of land on which the Community Gardens on Pioneer Trail are located has been renewed. The land is owned by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) and leased to the City for a nominal annual fee. V. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION VI. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION A. HANDOUTS OF UPCOMING EVENTS Brink presented handouts of the following upcoming events. 1. Winter Blast The annual event, formerly known as Rock on Ice, has been expanded and will be held on Friday, January 25, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Staring Lake Park. Activities will include sledding, skating, DJ, arts and crafts, outdoor games, rink activities, snowshoeing, bonfire, and food truck. 2. Father and Daughter Sweetheart Dance The annual event will be held on Saturday, February 2, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., in the Garden Room at City Center. Girls ages 3-13 are invited to attend a special dinner and dance with dad or other significant male figure. Registration ends January 25 and includes dinner, dancing, a photo of the couple,party favors, and a Valentine craft. VII. NEW BUSINESS VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. ASPIRE UPDATE Bourne presented chapters of the final draft of the Aspire Eden Prairie 2040 Plan which the City Council recently approved and that has been submitted to the Metropolitan Council for approval. Chapter 8 of the Aspire 2040 initiative covers the Parks and Open Space plan. In addition to sustainability, the main focus is determining how the park system can best be utilized to serve the community. In developing the Parks and Open Space plan, staff received input from several sources, including Hennepin County, Three Rivers Park District, and the watershed districts. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MEETING January 7, 2019 Page 3 Chapter 7, the Community Facilities Plan, covers public buildings within the City serving residents, specifically the Community Center and Senior Center within the Parks and Recreation Division. Bourne noted these chapters, as well as the entire Aspire 2040 initiative, are located on the City's website. Lotthammer explained the Aspire Eden Prairie 2040 Plan as a comprehensive plan all cities are mandated to develop. The Parks and Open Space Plan will be developed further throughout the next year by adding recreational programming and providing baseline information. Lotthammer anticipates requesting the Commission recommend to the Council adopting the revised Parks and Open Space plan by the end of 2019. The last time the plan was updated was 2003. By waiting for the completion of the Aspire 2040 Plan, a lot of baseline demographic information and new zoning locations were captured. That information is the basis and driver for the next 10 to 20 years of a Master Plan within Parks and Recreation. For each facility and each programming area, trends will be studied and budgets developed. Lotthammer anticipates asking the Commission at the March meeting to help identify drivers (cultural diversity, demographic, age, etc.) in the Parks and Recreation business. McGlasson inquired and Lotthammer responded the Plan recognizes the route, connections, and zoning along the Southwest Light Rail Transit line. Erickson suggested investigating services the senior housing facilities offer their residents and how those services factor into City services. B. STARING LAKE DOG PARK/SKI TRAIL UPDATE Bourne provided an update on the status of the dog park/ski trail use. The last update was provided at the December 2 Commission meeting which was right after a moderate snowfall. At that time, the dog park was closed and the trails were groomed for ski use. The trails were subsequently deemed not skiable, so the dog park was reopened and has remained so with temporary fencing since December 4. C. STARING LAKE BUILDING PLAN REVIEW Lotthammer estimates the bid process will begin in the next month upon approval from City Council. He shared a PowerPoint presentation of several renderings: park building, aerial schematic of the park, overall site plan, detailed site plan, floor plans, exterior elevation, and roof sections. The building is estimated to be torn down in April with construction taking place May through September. The parking lot will be the last phase due to construction vehicle traffic and equipment staging. Bourne added part of the parking lot will PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MEETING January 7, 2019 Page 4 remain closed during construction but most of it will remain for open park users. Pesheck inquired if the wooden bollards would remain and Bourne responded most likely concrete curb stops would be installed. The basic footprint of the parking lot will remain the same; however, it will most likely transition to a one-way traffic flow. Building features include restrooms, lobby, skating warming room, sledding hill gathering room with seating for 80, command center/sled rental, and a chair and table storage area. The restrooms and lobby can be available 24/7 while the remainder of the building is secured. Additional features include a lobby with high visibility, an enhanced parking and entrance plaza, and outdoor overhang areas with on-demand overhead heaters. A detached picnic pavilion and a gas fire pit are both being proposed as alternate options to consider based on pricing. Other than a rental facility for family gatherings, the building is anticipated to be used as a command center for 5K runs and pickleball tournaments. Staff is working closely with Hansen Thorp Pellinen Olson, Inc. (HTPO) who handles the site work, drainage, and stormwater issues and Dan O'Brien with DSO Architecture who is handling the building plans. Lotthammer and Bourne will also meet with the Watershed District in regard to stormwater and the grading and direction of run-off from the parking lot in order to receive their input and approval prior to proceeding. Jacobson inquired and Lotthammer responded the City has received a$53,000 grant from Hennepin County. The amount is lower than requested but Lotthammer is hopeful additional grants will be received throughout the year for other projects. Link inquired and Lotthammer responded the total project cost is estimated at$1.2 million. Bid results and additional details will be provided to the Commission at the March meeting. IX. REPORTS OF COMMISSION & STAFF A. PARKS AND RECREATION EXPERIENCES Members and staff shared recent experiences related to parks and recreation. Verley stated the Community Center was very busy over winter break, especially on Wednesday, December 26 and Saturday, December 29. Link added the lap pool was full on New Year's Day and Verley stated a two-hour cycle class reached capacity that day as well. Erickson stated she has heard from walkers who appreciate the trail around Round Lake being plowed and salted quickly after recent snowfalls. Hilton shared he noticed lots of patrons playing basketball at the Community Center right before winter break. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MEETING January 7, 2019 Page 5 B. RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER 1. Winter HisMis!hts Brink displayed a PowerPoint presentation on parks and recreation opportunities available to keep users active during the winter months. Outdoor opportunities include ice rinks at nine park locations, adult broomball leagues at Round Lake Park, Staring Lake sledding hill, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking. She noted new for 2019 are private and small group lessons for cross country skiing and snowshoeing based out of the Outdoor Center. Winter Blast(formerly known as Rock on Ice) will be held at Staring Lake Park on Friday, January 25, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and will include skating, sledding, outdoor DJ,bonfire, food truck, and family activities. Indoor activities include the 30-Day Challenge and Indoor Triathlon at the Community Center. The 30-Day Challenge is a fee-based program running January 7 through February 5, providing individual goal setting in fitness and nutrition. The Indoor Triathlon will be held on Sunday, March 10, and is open to members and non-members for a fee. The Eden Prairie Players' winter production of"Bus Stop" will be presented on the two week-ends of March 15-24. The annual ice show will run March 22-24 at the Community Center. This year's program is called "Get the Party Started" and will feature members of the Learn to Skate program. Brink explained staff members are busy preparing for the Summer Camp Preview Day and Job Fair to be held on Monday, February 18, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Community Center. Staff is also currently recruiting and hiring for summer positions and planning for summer events, programs, concerts, trail construction, and park improvements. Maintenance staff performs snow removal and winter maintenance of more than 150 miles of trails and sidewalks, snow removal in 31 parking lots, and ongoing flooding and maintenance of ice rinks. Seasonal maintenance is performed by repairing seasonal items, maintaining equipment, and creating specialty equipment. C. COMMUNITY CENTER MANAGER 1. Community Center Awards. Verley stated the Community Center was recently awarded the 2018 Sun Current Readers Choice Awards for Best Fitness Center, Best Indoor Waterpark, and Best Recreation Center in the southwest region. This is the PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MEETING January 7, 2019 Page 6 second year the Community Center has received all three awards. D. PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER E. PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR 1. 2019 PRNR Work Plan Lotthammer presented an updated 2019 Work Plan. He stated a presentation will be made at the February Commission meeting outlining the Parks and Recreation Division's 2018 accomplishments and 2019 goals. Also expected at the February meeting is a request for input from the Commission regarding the Parks and Open Spaces future trends. The March Commission meeting is expected to include input from neighbors surrounding the Sterling Field Park. This small parcel of land with aging infrastructure is set for improvements in 2019. The Commission will hear suggestions from the neighborhood residents on their preferred improvements. 2. Work Plan Additions Lotthammer invited Commission members to call or email him with input and suggested topics to be added to the Work Plan for the remainder of the year. Erickson inquired when the Commission would present its 2018 achievements to the Council, along with the other City Commissions as has been done in prior years. Lotthammer stated he would find out and inform the Commission. X. NEXT MEETING The next PRNR Commission meeting will be held on Monday, February 4, at 7 p.m. in the City Center Heritage Rooms. XI. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Jacobson moved, seconded by Erickson, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 6-0. Chair Link adjourned the meeting at 8:16 p.m.