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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks and Recreation - 02/04/2019 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 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 Jacobson were absent. Community Center Manager Verley and Student Representative Ananya Vegesna were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion: Spresser moved, seconded by Erickson, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 6-0. III. APPROVAL OF PRNR MINUTES Motion: Erickson moved, seconded by Rahman, to approve the January 7, 2019 minutes as presented. Motion carried 6-0. IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION Lotthammer reported on three actions recently taken by the City Council. A. LIONS DONATION TO OUTDOOR CENTER Council adopted a Resolution accepting a$400 donation from the Eden Prairie Lions Club for Staring Lake Outdoor Center programs and equipment. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES February 4, 2019 Page 2 B. PRESERVE BOULEVARD PUBLIC ART AGREEMENT A Professional Services Agreement with CJ Rench of CJR Design was approved for the Preserve Boulevard Public Art design, fabrication, and installation. Four unique sculptures, each 18-25 feet high, will be installed along Preserve Boulevard. Each structure is based on four native plants to the surrounding landscape. Completion is estimated summer/early fall 2019. C. STARING LAKE BUILDING SITE AGREEMENT Council approved entering into a professional services agreement with HTPO (Hansen Thorp Pellinen Olson, Inc.) for development of plans and specifications for the site work in connection with the building reconstruction project at Staring Lake Park. City staff previously entered into an agreement with DSO Architecture for the park shelter reconstruction design. HTPO is responsible for coordinating with DSO to design the many elements outside of the building footprint. HTPO has performed similar work for the Round Lake Phase II and Cedar Hills Park projects. Bids will be received and reviewed in the next few weeks and approval is anticipated by Council in early March 2019. V. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION Bourne reported on two actions recently taken by the Planning Commission. A. STABLE PATH RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT A residential development is being considered just west of Stable Path and just north of Crestwood Park. Currently there is an eight foot wide public trail on the south side of Dell Drive. At the end of the existing street, the trail turns to the south and continues into the park. The sidewalk through Stable Path will connect with the existing trail where it turns to go into the park,run the length of the project, and connect with the existing trail on the west side of Stable Path. B. GROUND STORAGE WATER RESERVOIR AND PUMP HOUSE The City is requesting approval to construct a ground storage water reservoir and associated pump house. The property is located between Highway 212 and the Minnesota River Bluffs LRT Regional Trail,just east of Eden Prairie Road. The site plan provides a pedestrian connection between the regional trail and the pump house. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES February 4, 2019 Page 3 VI. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION A. HANDOUTS OF UPCOMING EVENTS Brink presented handouts of the following upcoming events. 1. Valentine's Breakfast. The annual event will be held at the Senior Center on Friday, February 15, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Registrants will be treated to a catered breakfast and coffee. 2. Summer Camp Preview and Job Fair. The public is invited to meet camp staff and learn about summer offerings on Monday, February 18, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center. Staff will also be available to speak about summer employment opportunities with interested parties. Brink stated approximately 200 part- time employees will be hired for this summer. VII. NEW BUSINESS A. PARK AND OPEN SPACE PLAN— OVERVIEW Lotthammer provided Commission members with copies of the City's Park and Open Space System Plan which was prepared in 2003. Over the next year, staff will work on updating the information to create a revised Master Plan. Staff has already begun investigating trends and will be asking the Commission for input over the next several months. The 2003 plan heavily focused on facilities within the Parks system. The new plan will include facility information but also add recreational programming components. The completed Master Plan will be useful in communicating with the public. In addition, the exercises and research staff will perform will be beneficial and useful in other ways. Pesheck inquired if staff has compared forecasts from 2003 with actual occurrences. Lotthammer responded the 2003 plan was completed by a consultant who focused primarily on facility needs to match anticipated population growth. The new Master Plan will be developed in-house and focus on needs of the residents and how to provide facilities and programming to meet those needs. Much of the information collected and contained in the Aspire 2040 plan will be useful in the preparation of this new Master Plan. Link inquired and Lotthammer responded the Master Plan is anticipated to be completed by early 2020. Spresser suggested an executive summary in the new plan could include a list of objectives. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES February 4, 2019 Page 4 B. PLAY STRUCTURE SELECTION FEEDBACK Bourne displayed presentations from two vendors selected from a pool of several vendors who responded to the City's Request for Proposals (RFP) for playstructure improvements at Bluffs West Parks (1 and 2) and Nesbitt Preserve Park. Webber Recreational Design, Inc. provided a proposal using Miracle Recreation equipment and St. Croix Recreation's proposal used Burke Playground equipment. Spresser inquired about feedback received from current park renovations. Bourne responded spinners, climbers, and double swings (parent and child face each other) are most popular. Pesheck inquired about foundations. Bourne responded all parks will keep the same footprint, remove old equipment, redo drainage, install new equipment, and replace with new wood chips. He noted rubber foundations are used at larger community parks that experience heavier use. Lotthammer indicated the City has contracted with both vendors and manufacturers previously, resulting in good experiences. Vendors responding to the RFP were told the winning bidder would be awarded all three contracts so they should provide their best proposal, including the finest and most equipment, for the total budgeted amount. Bourne asked Commission members for their feedback on the proposals. Pesheck and Spresser commented they noticed the rope climber being the most popular when touring parks during last year's bus tour. Bourne noted rope climbers are one of the most expensive playground items and because of their height have a large fall protection zone. Link inquired and Bourne responded the long piece of equipment shown on one of the proposals is three separate teeter-totters connected with a piece of rubber. Spresser noted that piece of equipment seemed to take up a lot of space for only six children at a time. McGlasson added he trusts data and research performed by vendors and Staff. Bourne confirmed staff tracks wear patterns and areas of high use where woodchip replacement is frequent. Lotthammer reminded the group not to be drawn to the best presentation in terms of graphics and colors,but to look to the actual layout and types of equipment proposed. Spresser added the Commission needs rationale for the choices and added perhaps the presentation with lower quality graphics actually showed more transition opportunities and integration amongst pieces. Consensus of the Commission was the "ninja warrior" type layout providing transition from piece to piece of equipment was most desirable. Spresser suggested providing pictures of current park layout for future presentations for new equipment. Student Representative Timmerman inquired if data was available indicating which types of equipment caused the most PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES February 4, 2019 Page 5 accidents. Bourne responded he did not have that information but would be able to obtain it. Rahman inquired about the cost of the projects. Bourne responded the budget is $45,000 for each of the Bluffs West Parks and $65,000 for Nesbitt Park. Pesheck noted one of the proposals did not have a shade cover over the top. Bourne responded that option can be added to any of the pieces of equipment for a nominal cost. Pesheck inquired about timing of the projects and Bourne responded all would start this spring and be completed by July 2019. Spresser inquired and Bourne responded signs will be posted well in advance. The Parks and Recreation Department will also work closely with the Communications Division to inform the public about closures on social media. VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. LRT (LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT) UPDATE Lotthammer stated the LRT Project Office has informed the City staging of construction equipment will begin in early spring. A large impact in the City will be at Purgatory Creek Park where construction equipment will be staged in the grass along the street toward Lifetime, but away from the pavilion and the parking lot. Some trees will need to be removed for staging purposes and to make room for bridge piers that will eventually be constructed in that area. Once the schedule is finalized with the contractor, Lotthammer expects to provide more information from the Project Office. Commission members inquired if events at the Park will be impacted. Lotthammer responded annual and other scheduled events will go on as planned. IX. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. PARKS AND RECREATION EXPERIENCES Members and staff shared recent experiences related to parks and recreation. Link enjoyed participating in open pickleball for the first time at the Community Center. He commented it included all skill levels and was a great community building experience. Rahman noticed lots of kids participating in open skate when he dropped his children off recently. Lotthammer commended Bourne on being crowned the champion in a recent City employee badminton tournament. Brink noted two recent articles published highlighting the Art Center and Senior Center. Erickson commended Lotthammer on his presentation to the Council highlighting 2018 accomplishments. Lotthammer thanked her and mentioned he appreciated her publicly commending him, Bourne, Brink, and Verley at the presentation. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES February 4, 2019 Page 6 Spresser asked staff to consider measuring the number of users at Park facilities to determine a baseline with a goal of making more community members aware of and using Park facilities. Brink stated the resident survey is taken every two years and perhaps questions could be added to start building a history of Parks use. Program participation and number of users into facilities are currently being measured but not how many different users. Spresser suggested measuring the number of households using the Community Center and registering for programs to determine a baseline and expanding to other facilities in the future. The ultimate goal would be to determine which demographic areas are not being reached and find ways to do so. B. RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER C. COMMUNITY CENTER MANAGER D. PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER E. PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR 1. 2019 PRNR Work Plan. Lotthammer presented an updated 2019 Work Plan. Pesheck requested adding a visit to the Senior Center in the coming year. Brink and Lotthammer gave a Power Point presentation highlighting 2018 accomplishments and 2019 goals and priorities. Lotthammer explained he and the other City department heads (Fire, Police, Public Works, and Community Development), along with the City Manager, have made these presentations to City employees in the past few weeks. Brink highlighted several 2018 accomplishments, including installation of additional elements of public art, expanded offerings for active older adults, improved technology and furnishings at the Senior Center, and implementation of new citywide events. Bourne reported a dedicated field for cricket was developed at Nesbitt Preserve Park. Lotthammer went on to highlight additional 2018 accomplishments, including new aquatics programs in order to reach new populations and enhance the experience for current users; improved financial procedures, workflow, and practices; and the development of a partnership with the Hennepin County Eden Prairie Library to offer their programs at the Community Center while the Library is under renovation. Brink explained the Passport to Fun (fee assistance program) process was revamped to allow for streamlined administrative efforts and also allow PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES February 4, 2019 Page 7 participants of the program to register for programs online, something they had not been able to do prior to 2018. Easier access to registration and funding ultimately resulted in the highest amount of funding utilized to date, more members of our community are being served through supported funding. Lotthammer added extensive reporting and membership data collection improvements were made in order to be more fiscally sound and to better serve customers. Bourne highlighted additional accomplishments, to include building eight new pickleball courts at Staring Lake Park, updating the Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan, and completing trail/sidewalk connections on Valley View Road, Prairie Center Drive, and Prairie Lakes Drive. An outdoor games plaza project was completed at Pioneer Park and the Miller Park Field No. 11 was renovated. Brink began the 2019 goals and priorities segment of the presentation by explaining how part-time staff recruitment will be improved by researching recruitment strategies, incentives, and referral programs. Lotthammer went on to explain how the Department will focus on operational sustainability by reviewing processes and implementing best practices for energy cost reductions. Working with a consultant, the Department will implement a behavior-based operation improvement plan. The implementation of OneNote, basically a digital notebook, will allow for streamlined communication and information sharing amongst staff to better serve customers. Membership retention opportunities will be reviewed with the goal of retaining as much membership and revenue potential as possible. Live scheduling for the Community Center gymnasium and aquatics center will be pursued utilizing the same software currently used successfully for ice scheduling. Brink reported new marketing and communication strategies will be implemented, including expanded digital communication, customer feedback methods, and employee recruitment strategies. Spresser shared he feels the Parks and Recreation Department delivers so much more than the community is aware and would like to implement ways to get the news out more and reach additional people. Brink stated she will discuss with Joyce Lorenz, Communications Manager, since they are currently discussing other strategic planning ideas. Brink continued by explaining how the Department plans to increase service to underrepresented segments of the Eden Prairie population by expanding outreach efforts and addressing barriers to participation. Plans include continuing to grow PeopleFest events to showcase and celebrate the diverse cultures that make up the Eden Prairie community. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES February 4, 2019 Page 8 Senior programming and services will be improved by conducting formal and informal needs assessments to help drive programming decisions, analyzing the continuum of services offered by other partners in the community, utilizing the new yard games plaza in Pioneer Park for recreational leagues and events, and increasing cross-department collaboration of staff and resources to expand offerings for older adults. Programming will also be expanded to best utilize the new pickleball courts, yard games plaza, and cricket pitch within the City. Bourne reported the Staring Lake Park building will be renovated, the Minnesota River Vista project will be completed, and the playgrounds at Nesbitt Preserve Park and Bluffs West Parks will be replaced. The City plans to enter into a contract with a wireless internet service provider for Wi-Fi at Round Lake Park. Bourne wrapped up the 2019 goals and priorities presentation by reporting the native planting initiatives will be continued by converting turf areas at City owned buildings into native plant areas including pollinator friendly plant material and identify areas of parkland currently mowed but get little use to convert to native prairie areas. X. NEXT MEETING The next PRNR Commission Meeting will be held on Monday, March 4, at 7 p.m. in the City Center Heritage Rooms. XI. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Rahman moved, seconded by Pesheck, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 6-0. Chair Link adjourned the meeting at 8:58 p.m.