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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity and School Facility Use Advisory Committee - 03/29/2017 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE WED, MARCH 29, 2017 7:00 P.M., Eden Prairie High School—PAC Lobby 17185 Valley View Road, Eden Prairie, MN 55346 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 Open - EPHS Booster Club 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. ROLL CALL & INTRODUCTIONS Vice-Chair Larabee called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Vice-Chair Larabee asked for and received unanimous approval of the agenda. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Review and Approve December 7, 2016 Unapproved Minutes Vice-Chair Larabee asked for and received unanimous approval of the December 7, 2016 minutes without changes. IV. ITEMS OF BUSINESS A. CITY FIELD CONSTRUCTION UPDATE—LOTTHAMMER Lotthammer stated there would be light resurfacing, recoating, and repainting of the tennis courts at Round Lake after the high school season was over. The Round Lake softball fields would be allowed to grow in this year. The Hidden Ponds baseball field would have a fence and irrigation upgrade. Cedar Hills Park will not have any active athletic fields in 2017. Lotthammer stated the Parks and Recreation staff received a petition by dog park users EDEN PRAIRIE CITY AND SCHOOL USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE March 29, 2017 Page 2 to have Staring Lake closed to cross country skiing so that the fenced dog park would be open as a dog park year-round. This would include relocating the Nordic shack and the snowmobile used by the Parks and Recreation Department. The petition will be presented to the Parks Commission meeting on April 3, 2017, and the Parks Commission will be comparing the number of dog parks in the area versus what Eden Prairie provides. There are three significant year-round alternatives, and also area hockey rinks during the summer are available as dog parks in Eden Prairie. Lotthammer concluded that having a two- or three-month time period in which the Staring Lake dog park is unavailable did not prevent a hardship for residents. Discussion followed on the history of use of the Staring Lake dog park for cross- country,high school students training, and other activities. B. 2016 SPRING/SUMMER FIELD USAGE UPDATE—ROTHSCHAFER /SHINGLES Rothschafer referred the commission to the School Facilities Fees and Charges comparison sheets passed out by Shingles, and noted there were few changes in the fiscal year 2015-2016. Verley noted the 2014 price peak for swimming lessons, and Lotthammer replied that was due to the construction during that time. Rothschafer passed out the Field Usage Breakdown and announced Dome field would get a new turf field. Work would begin on June 12, 2017 and last for 5 weeks. He added that the fields were put in in 2007, and had seen high usage since. Lacrosse is the sport that most impacts the fields. The new turn would include inserts to make the field last longer. Larabee noted that Edina residents objected to fake turf recently. Grant replied that a small group of people cited research that such turf was "dangerous." However, the turf is ground up rubber, whereas grass turf includes fertilizer, insecticide, the possibility of bee stings, etc. which could be just as "bad." Grant added he was comfortable with fake turf, as it was essentially a carpet, like indoor carpet, with long plastic, over which the commission had a choice of lengths and styles. The infill, which absorbed the shock of those using the field, consisted of a blend of sand and rubber blend. A larger concern in his opinion than artificial turf was the hardness of a grass field after much wear, which was also detrimental for athletes, whereas artificial turf provided this infill. Grant added he was happy with the bids received. He stated the real issue for him was painted versus cut seams, and he would prefer to have fewer cut seams in the turf. The turf repair needs were being driven by the popularity of lacrosse as a sport. Lotthammer said the 2016 April—August revenue was $43,000 and would likely be less in 2017 due to turf improvements making some fields unavailable. 95 percent of users of facilities are associations—the soccer club, lacrosse, youth camps, etc., along with some external renters. Grass fields were not rented externally to reserve them for Eden Prairie soccer and lacrosse use. Discussion followed on how lacrosse affects the maintenance of the fields. Link asked if there was public interest in rugby, and Lotthammer replied he had not been contacted for that; it did not appear to be as popular as in the past. Grant noted EDEN PRAIRIE CITY AND SCHOOL USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE March 29, 2017 Page 3 that rugby needed an individual with passion to take the lead in creating a club. Link asked what is the upcoming sport could be, and Rothschafer replied that pickleball was quite popular now. Shingles reported there were not enough fields for the number of people who want to use them, as was the case in 2016, requiring her office to be creative with scheduling. The construction at Round Lake caused her office to move the softball league. Whereas previously there had been over 100 teams, there were 77 this year after signup concluded, which actually helped with scheduling. She was looking forward to the potential to have the fields at Round Lake available for use in autumn. The Miller Soccer Football field was also busy and in demand. Shingles was working with Rothschafer to place high school student athletes. Eden Prairie's fields were heavily used and popular, and slots for rental were competitive. Ultimate Frisbee was coming up. Rothschafer announced that some residents had complained about participants cutting through residents' yard along Hames Way as they walked from the high school to the field. Grant asked for and received clarification that this group was an independent provider, not a city league. Therefore this group had its own insurance and did not fall under the city's jurisdiction, however since the residents had complained to the city a commission member could contact the leader of the Frisbee team to urge that person to discourage the participants walking through the yards. Shingles asked who the point person could be. Grant replied that the person who filled out the forms could be contacted. He asked if there was signage in the area, and Lotthammer replied there was not. Rothschafer added that a possible point person would probably be Brian Powles, who was a new volunteer. Larabee urged Shingles to reach out to Powles. C. 2016 CITY/SCHOOL FEES AND CHARGES—ALL Shingles passed out the spreadsheets of actual fees. There was not much changed from 2016. Grant stated he had not yet had a conversation with the school finance director, and Larabee said there was no finalized budget yet. Grant replied he would email the finance director. Lotthammer asked why girls' hockey was more expensive than boys' hockey, and Grant replied the girls teams run the tournament and have multiple games. D. 2017 SCHOONER DAYS PLANNING—VERLEY Verley announce that a kickoff planning meeting had been held with police, the Lions Club, and Community Center staff that day. Schooner Days would be held June 2-4, 2017 Verley hoped to coordinate and responding to prevent snarls that occurred last year, and wished to work with the commission to direct traffic and parking, and head off complaints. For the first time Eden Prairie was not holding a softball tournament, due to the field construction and the fact that softball participant numbers are declining nationwide. EDEN PRAIRIE CITY AND SCHOOL USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE March 29, 2017 Page 4 Instead, a pickleball tournament would be held in the Community Center. F. DRYLAND TRAINING RINK 2- VAL/JAY Verley announced that the Community Center did not get the Hennepin County grant applied for in autumn,but would nevertheless move forward with the project. She is receiving bids from vendors for rubberized flooring behind Rink 2, and would partner with the Hockey Association. The area will be fenced in, giving rubberized flooring, and have rigs bolted into the exterior wall that can allow for high-level strength training, climbmetrics, etc. The grand opening was planned for October, 2017. Grant asked for and received clarification that this was a separate rental area. Bridge asked for and received clarification that this internal space was not intended to be used by groups that had reserved an outdoor field but wanted an alternative space due to rain. Verley replied that the size, design, and layout would not be appropriate for large groups or teams. Grant asked the commission to consider how much it would cost to rent or use Round Lake in winter for an event on the ice, such as a partnership with the Boosters for a family friendly winter event: hay rides outside around the lake, golf, cross-county, vendors with food, etc. This would be held in early March, if the thickness of ice permitted. Discussion followed on this possibility. Lotthammer noted that police and fire would have to be involved, as with the Polar Plunge. It could be difficult to find a window of time when the ice was sufficiently thick, or else the event would have to use the Activity Center as a backup. Verley noted certain bars on lakes up in northern Minnesota held events on the ice, such as in Jordan, Minnesota. Larabee suggested a pond hockey tournament. V. NEXT MEETING A. Next Meetingposed Date: December 13, 2017 B. Discussion Items for the Next Meeting VI. OTHER VII. ADJOURNMENT Vice-Chair Larabee adjourned the meeting at 8:02 p.m.