Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity and School Facility Use Advisory Committee - 12/13/2017 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY AND SCHOOL FACILITY USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE WED, DECEMBER 13, 2017 7:00 P.M.,Aquatics Room 110 Eden Prairie Community Center 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 Shingles called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Absent were committee members Larabee, Link, and Butcher-Wickstrom, and staff Hoffman-Bram and Brink. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The agenda was not approved due to lack of a quorum. Discussion followed on this issue. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Review and Approve March 29, 2017 Unapproved Minutes The minutes were not approved due to lack of a quorum. Shingles agreed to resend the minutes to the commission members. IV. ITEMS OF BUSINESS A. CITY FIELD CONSTRUCTION UPDATE—LOTTHAMMER Lotthammer stated they were still moving through soccer fields numbers 9, 10, and 11 at Miller Park. Number 10 was about to be reopened, and 11 was about to be closed. In 2019 all three fields would be reopened, and then Flying Cloud EDEN PRAIRIE CITY AND SCHOOL USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE December 13, 2017 Page 2 fields would undergo soil amending and regrading. Round Lake's three softball fields would be ready for use this spring, and a grand opening was planned. B. STARING LAKE PARK PICKLEBALL AND BUILDING PROJECT - LOTTHAMMER Lotthammer stated at Staring Lake there was currently a tennis court, a basketball court, and a sand volleyball court. Parks and Recreation was approached by the Southwest Metro Pickleball Association to add a 12-court pickleball complex. The association was attending commission and City Council meetings, and a feasibility study was done. Staring Lake was the best and only option for this. The tennis and basketball courts need to be redone, and Lotthammer proposed adding 8 pickleball courts. The project would be bid out as 4, 6 or 8 pickleball courts. The improvement requires a lot of extra drainage. The plan was to open bids in February or early March, 2018, then come back to City Council with a budget and a number of courts. Also being considered was combining the building demolition and reconstruction all at one time, which could potentially yield some cost savings. The building serves the sledding hill and the skating rink, and during the summer serves as a picnic area and is rented out for graduations, etc. Discussion followed on the number of pickleball courts in other communities. C. 2017 SPRING/SUMMER FIELD USAGE UPDATE—ROTHSCHAFER/ SHINGLES Rothschafer distributed an annual (school year) field usage report and noted Turf B would be refurbished in two weeks, with a new dome fabric and lighting. The entire dome was replaced. Grant added the emergency doors were replaced along with the bubble mounting, and every hole had been redrilled. Verley asked if this work was done by volunteers. Grant replied it was being done on a fee basis by a company out of Thunder Bay, Ontario which was hired through Hennepin County. Discussion followed on the dome work. Rothschafer added Turf B was not rented out as much this year, which resulted in lower revenue than normal. The usage of grass fields were up due to soccer. Lotthammer asked if the city was meeting the demand of association for turf time, and Rothschafer replied it was for outdoor sports, whereas residents want court time. Discussion followed on which sports were currently popular with residents. Bridge noted boys and girls in-house programs were down. Grant replied everybody's sports were down, due to the class size being down, and also to changes in socio-economic demographics. Another reason and the largest according to Grant was early sports specialization: whereas most kids used to be 2-3 sport athletes,private instructors were now changing the landscape of high school sports in Eden Prairie. Softball numbers were significantly down, and no boy hockey players, for example, that he knew of play any other sport. Discussion followed on this issue. EDEN PRAIRIE CITY AND SCHOOL USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE December 13, 2017 Page 3 Grant advocated Crystal Queen join this board. Queen joined the football board as the only woman and in charge of all scholarships for football. Grant and Queen ran a nonprofit named The Friendship Project that helped residents of color and single parents get access to community sports. Grant stated Eden Prairie was built for middle-class to upper-class residents to sign up, and there was no scholarship system. Due to many obstacles to residents of color that were not visible to white Eden Prairie residents, people see Queen as a resource even over the coach and her presence on the football board enabled 10 additional sign-ups that year. Numbers grew under her stewardship, and the culture needs different rules to accommodate current needs of residents of color who have unfortunately confronted shaming experiences. Also, outreach need to change and reach more residents. Shingles concurred it would only benefit this board to be inclusive and to remove barriers to facility usage. Grant urged the board in these changing times to recognize barriers it may not be aware of, and stressed these barriers were not intentional nor due to bad personal motives but were possibly a consequence of white privilege, and he became aware of it through communication with parents and by working with Queen. D. 2018 CITY/SCHOOL FEES AND CHARGES—NO CHANGES Shingles sent email prior to meeting outlining no changes. E. 2018 SCHOONER DAYS PLANNING-VERLEY Verley announced she was working with the Lions Club to plan for 2018 Schooner Days which were moving to Round Lake. There would be new softball fields and splash pads families. This would be the trial run, and she was hoping for a permanent fix to avoid baseball weekends and offering ample parking. It would be a one-stop area and a band would be brought in. There would also be a tent located either similar to the location during the July 4 event near new parking lot, or in the parking front and center of the ball fields. There could possibly a generator for electricity. Discussion followed on the location. Grant stated carnival rides are too expensive presently. Verley replied she did not see a lot of people on the rides but they were still the Lions' biggest money maker that weekend. However, the prices were expensive for families. Grant replied the Lions cannot set prices. Bridge asked if other companies could be utilized. Grant replied last year county fair companies could not find workers to work carnival rides, which canceled them across the state. Verley stated the 2018 could be a win-win. F. ULTIMATE FRISBEE GROUP USAGE REMINDER-SHINGLES Shingles reminded the committee members the importance of preventing EDEN PRAIRIE CITY AND SCHOOL USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE December 13, 2017 Page 4 pedestrians from cutting across residents' properties. Rothschafer replied there were fields scheduled already, which should solve the issue. G. HENNEPIN COUNTY YOUTH SPORTS GRANT UPDATE-SHINGLES Shingles announced she worked with the Eden Prairie Volleyball Association to submit a grant proposal to upgrade the volleyball standards for the sand volleyball courts at Riley Lake Park. This association started a successful beach program last summer, and they wanted to have the opportunity to raise and lower the nets. The hope is the grant will fund the work to upgrade the taxed system. Lotthammer announced the grant($8,450.00)had been approved at the City Council the night before. Rothschafer stated a men's volleyball season was being proposed at the high school league. Grant expressed doubt it would go through. Bridge stated it had been tried many years ago, but Grant replied there were huge Title IX issues with it. Discussion followed on this proposal. Verley described the equipment request submitted. H. CRICKET-SHINGLES Shingles stated she had received many requests from various groups, one of which works with USA Cricket, to bring cricket to Eden Prairie, and asked if others had received such requests. Rothschafer replied there was a Sunday morning league active that usually used two courts on Sunday mornings and four courts in March when basketball season ends. Shingles replied her office was working to provide a place for this, conducting site visits to find fields that could work or be retrofit to work. Grant asked what the minimum requirements for an outdoor match were. Lotthammer replied it depended on the age group, but teams would play on the football fields at Flying Cloud, or any soccer field would be perfect. In the past, such teams used the soccer field near Nesbitt. Discussion followed on Sunday sports. I. FUTURE MEETING COORDINATION ROTATION-ALL Shingles stated her position coordinates these meetings, and suggested rotating the coordination duties between other staff(Bridge and Rothschafer). Grant noted the board could not vote tonight. Bridge observed there was no one in the booster position. Grant added he would take responsibility for recruiting a booster, as he has a couple parents in mind. Shingles replied her thought with rotating would help with having new interactions and recruitment. Lotthammer stated over the last 4-5 years the voting numbers were "hit-or-miss" which brought up the question as to why this body should continue to meet without committee members. Discussion followed on this issue. Grant replied he would like to see more boosters but the board could do business without them. He also asked if EDEN PRAIRIE CITY AND SCHOOL USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE December 13, 2017 Page 5 there was a founding document that described joint powers; he was certain he had a copy of it. He offered to get together with Lotthammer to talk about meeting without committee members. Bridge stated she wanted to see a school board member on the board. Grant urged there being a member of the arts community on this board as well. V. NEXT MEETING A. Next Meeting —Proposed Date: March 28, 2018 B. Discussion Items for the Next Meetinlz VI. OTHER Grant stated there was talk of the 2019 Paralympics coming to Eden Prairie. He was not sure this was finalized. Rothschafer replied Eden Prairie was the only city in the country to submit a bid for the junior level. The swim portion would be most difficult,but he could shuffle his events for it. Verley stated in years' past it was a two-week event. Discussion followed on the particular events that would be held. Rothschafer stated there was no budget for it, so area hotels and restaurants were being tapped and grants would be submitted. The national event was held every year. VII. ADJOURNMENT Staff Shingles adjourned the meeting at 8:03 p.m.