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Parks and Recreation - 03/01/2021 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021 7:00 P.M. via Microsoft Teams PRNR COMMISSION MEMBERS: Larry Link, Chair; Patrice Erickson, Vice Chair; Cecilia Cervantes, Kim Harris, Tom Poul, Ken Ross, Shanti Shah, Kirk Spresser STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Jake Freeland, John Hartle, Jessica Hovde, Garen McDowell, Ishan Nadkarni, Tommy Pan, Tanay Salunke CITY STAFF: Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director Lori Brink, Recreation Manager Matt Bourne, Parks and Natural Resources Manager Valerie Verley, Community Center Manager Doug Tucker, Athletics Supervisor Jes Schrom, Art and Special Events Supervisor RECORDING SECRETARY: Jodie Fenske Chair Link called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. All Commission members and Staff members were present. Student Representatives John Hartle, Garen McDowell, and Tommy Pan were absent. I. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion: Cervantes moved, seconded by Erickson, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 8-0. II. APPROVAL OF PRNR MINUTES Motion: Ross moved, seconded by Erickson, to approve the February 1, 2021 minutes as presented. Motion carried 8-0. III. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION A. COMMISSION MEMBERSHIP UPDATE Lotthammer reported the Council will vote on all City Commission appointments at its March 2 meeting. Interviews have been completed and he expects two new members will be appointed to the PRNR Commission. Chair Link has reached the end of his term and this evening will be his last official meeting. Lotthammer thanked him for his years of service on the Commission. PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES March 1, 2021 Page 2 IV. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION Bourne reported no PRNR-related topics were discussed at the February Planning Commission meeting. V. PETITIONS, REQUESTS, AND COMMUNICATION VI. NEW BUSINESS A. SPECIAL EVENTS Brink introduced Jes Schrom, Arts and Special Events Supervisor, who oversees the Art Center, performing arts activities, public art functions, and City-wide special events. Schrom gave a PowerPoint presentation on all City public events, including partners and average attendance. Most events were scaled down and required registration in 2020 due to the pandemic. The free or low-cost events allow residents and visitors to experience the City’s parks and facilities throughout the year. Most events are family friendly with hands-on activities, giveaways, and entertainment. An estimated thirty-six thousand people are served through the average seventy events per year. Local partners include Noon Rotary, Lions Club, Optimist Club, youth athletic associations, Eden Prairie Library, PROP, Tree Trust, Eden Prairie Historical Society, Eden Prairie Center mall, Let’s Go Fishing, City Departments, and Eden Prairie Community Education. Winter events include the Eden Prairie Figure Skating Club’s ice show, Valentine’s Day Breakfast at the Senior Center, Winter Blast at Staring Lake Park, Eden Prairie High School Nordic team practices and events, Father-Daughter Sweetheart Dance, and Winter Theater performances. Winter Blast hosts typically 350 attendees; Schrom estimates the same number of participants were served this year over several Snowtime Saturdays in January and February. In 2019, Winter Theater was moved to PiM (Performing Institute of Minnesota), an arts high school in Eden Prairie, allowing for a more intimate setting. Spring events include Floating Egg Hunt at the EPCC recreational pool, Animal Open House at the Outdoor Center, Art Center Open House, Arbor Day Walk and Green Fair at Round Lake Park, Park Clean-Up Day at various City parks, Senior Awareness Month at the Senior Center, Women’s One Acts performances at the Riley-Jacques Barn, Mother-Son All-Star Evening, and Mother’s Day Zumba. To allow for proper social distancing and lower attendance numbers, the Art Center Open House was split into two events with a focus on youth in the spring and adults/teens in the fall. PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES March 1, 2021 Page 3 Summer events include the Senior Golf Classic, Festival of Jazz on the Prairie and Rib Fest in conjunction with the Noon Rotary, Summer Musical at the Staring Lake Amphitheater in conjunction with the Eden Prairie Band, and KidStock held on Tuesday mornings throughout summer at the amphitheater. Pop-up Splash Pads are sponsored at various parks in conjunction with the Eden Prairie Fire and Police Departments and Eden Prairie Library. Starring at Staring is a concert series held on Sunday, Thursday, and Friday evenings throughout the summer. Staff has made a commitment to continuing to provide more diverse entertainment at many events. The 4th of July Hometown Celebration hosts the largest overall attendance at nine thousand to ten thousand participants. The Children’s Summer Theater Workshop will be moved to the Staring Lake Amphitheater this year. Movies in the Park is held three Friday evenings in August at the amphitheater. Rounding out the summer events is Fitness in the Parks which offers free fitness programs at various parks. Fall events include Arts in the Park at Purgatory Creek Park, PeopleFest, Pound for PROP, Collection of One Acts performances at the Riley-Jacques Barn, Fall Lunch at the Senior Center, Fall Harvest, City-Wide Open House, and Fall into Fitness at the Community Center. Halloween-related events include the Not-So-Scary Nature Trail, Floating Pumpkin Patch, Spooky Saturday, and Halloween on the Mall. Holiday events include the Share the Warmth concert, Holiday Lunch at the Senior Center, and Day of Giving at the Community Center, Planning is currently underway for additional public art being infused within the City, modified summer programming, and the 4th of July Hometown Celebration. Link and Cervantes thanked Schrom for the presentation and her efforts. They were impressed by the number of events and level of participation. Erickson commended staff on doing an amazing job of pivoting during COVID. Schrom stated staff members have enjoyed brainstorming ideas and trying new events during COVID. She stated some of the more successful modifications will be kept post-COVID. Brink stated beyond providing entertainment and recreation, these events create community-building connections in neighborhoods and throughout the community. Staff takes these efforts seriously and consider them an important part of their work. Commission members were invited to contact Brink or Schrom anytime with questions or suggestions. B. YOUTH AND ADULT ATHLETICS Brink introduced Doug Tucker, Athletics Supervisor, who is responsible for managing the City’s adult recreational sports leagues and coordinating facilities with the associations who provide youth sports. Tucker started with the City in 2011 as an Adult Athletics intern, followed by various part-time roles within the PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES March 1, 2021 Page 4 City. He started full-time as Recreation Supervisor at the Senior Center before accepting his current position as Athletics Supervisor. The Adult Athletics mission is to provide a broad range of recreational opportunities for adults, to accommodate high-level and novice participants, to offer options for structured leagues and drop-in recreational opportunities, and to improve the physical and mental wellness of participants. With the impact of COVID this past year, he realized the positive impact of mental well-being adult athletics has on the community and participants. Sport leagues and programs offered in the spring and summer include men’s and co-ed adult slow-pitch softball, co-ed indoor and sand volleyball, outdoor pickleball, outdoor flag football, Bocce, yard games, and senior softball, as well as basketball and volleyball open gym opportunities. He mentioned the open gym opportunities are a great way for people new to the community to meet others by joining a pick-up game. Fall leagues include men’s co-ed and women’s adult slow-pitch softball, co-ed, women’s and men’s sand and indoor volleyball, dome flag football, indoor pickleball, and racquetball. Winter leagues include co-ed, women’s and men’s volleyball, basketball, men’s and co-ed broomball, racquetball, and indoor pickleball. Tucker is responsible for marketing of the leagues and programs, creating league schedules, reserving facilities, preparing the officiating staff schedules, supervising the officiating staff, and coordinating registrations. Marketing efforts include the traditional Parks and Recreation brochure, direct email correspondence to current and former teams, Facebook advertisements, traditional flyers and promotional items, and program evaluations. Seven thousand two hundred participants were served in 2019 and an estimated four thousand two hundred participants were still served in 2020 through modified leagues offered during the pandemic. Covid-19 preparedness plans were developed for each league and were specific to each facility. Modifications were made to league scheduling, and personal protection equipment was provided to keep staff members safe. Tucker supervises forty-two part-time officiating staff members including basketball officials and scorekeepers, volleyball officials, softball umpires, and broomball officials. Due to a lack of new officials entering the profession, he tries to cross-train staff members interested in working more than one sport. New components in Adult Athletics include increasing technology efficiencies, obtaining sponsorships, and online tracking of open gym participants. League players can now access schedules, standings, and league updates via their mobile devices. Players receive instant notifications of weather cancelations via the PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES March 1, 2021 Page 5 REMIND app, and officials can access their schedules online via an adult athletics intranet program. Trends in adult athletics indicate participation in slow-pitch softball has been on a slow decline since its peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Eden Prairie still has a relatively high participation rate for softball compared to surrounding communities. Pickleball continues to be popular in Eden Prairie and is expanding to younger participants. Overall, adult athletics participants are interested in shorter seasons with less time commitment. Tucker attributes this due to an aging population and parents spending more time on their children’s sports rather than their own recreational needs. The City is responding to trends by forming new partnerships, offering leagues in casual sports with shorter seasons, and focusing on team retention and quality of leagues. A partnership with West Metro Senior Softball recently developed to offer leagues at Round Lake Park has resulted in rental revenue for the City. By partnering with the Senior Center, daytime leagues will be offered utilizing built-in audiences. In addition to Adult Athletics responsibilities, Tucker serves as the staff liaison to seven youth associations representing seven thousand youth participants. Duties include the building relationships, scheduling field maintenance, coordinating tournaments, and general organizational administration. He also coordinates field rentals for resident groups and businesses including adult baseball and soccer teams, Boy Scouts, churches, Eden Prairie businesses, and Special Olympics. C. SPORT TRENDS Recreation Staff has been working on a report documenting past sport participation and forecasting future sport trends. A draft of the report was provided to Commission members via email earlier in the week in preparation for sharing their input at the meeting. The research will assist staff in creating future programming and allocating resources for facilities, equipment, and personnel. The research will also aid in determining how an aging community affects use of facilities and parks. The report included a sports trends chart listing several sports and an indicator of their trends over the last five years and predicted trends in the next five years, including data analysis of local participation. Besides typical sports, emerging sports such as cricket, pickleball, and ultimate frisbee were analyzed, as were backyard games, fitness activities, and outdoor rinks and warming houses. Lotthammer invited input from Commission members, stating the report will soon be presented to the Council. Spresser suggested adding pop tennis since its court is an easy modification to current tennis courts. He also suggested adding a section to the report making a statement of which sport or program for which the City would like to become a leader compared to surrounding cities. PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES March 1, 2021 Page 6 Link inquired and Tucker responded the City has not been contacted to start an official cricket league. Users are guided to fields currently not being used for other sports, as well as to the designated cricket pitch at Nesbitt Preserve Park. Link also suggested offering introductory classes for people interested in a sport but not sure how to play, perhaps offering during another activity or performance within the City. Tucker stated he will research offering introductory classes, noting introductory pickleball classes are currently offered and most leagues offer different skill levels. Student Representative Salunke stated the younger population typically hears about new trends through their friends or seeing it on television or on social media. VII. OLD BUSINESS A. COVID-19 PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES UPDATE Bourne stated the Parks Department has remained mostly unaffected by COVID. Staff has been maintaining sledding hills, skating rinks, and trails while preparing to transition into preparation for spring and summer activities. Verley stated social distancing within the Community Center is back to six feet to keep in line with the Governor’s orders. Capacity in the facility has remained at 25 percent since June. As of today, the building hours have gone back to regular pre- COVID open times of 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Verley stated traffic has been increasing, especially on weekends. Link commended staff on providing alternatives for facility users throughout COVID. Brink stated summer recreation planning has been in full swing. Summer programming will be announced on March 8 and online registration will begin on March 24. Staff is also putting lots of thought into the 4th of July Hometown Celebration and researching different ways to celebrate, including providing fireworks. Spresser inquired and Brink responded assumptions being made include social distancing, mask-wearing, and smaller group sizes. Consideration is being made for which elements of the celebration can be brought back, even if spread out over a course of several days and at different locations. VIII. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. PARKS AND RECREATION EXPERIENCES Commission members and staff shared recent parks and recreation personal experiences. Erickson shared she was pleased to hear about the improvements being made to the Duck Lake Trail area. Ross recently witnessed a bald eagle flying parallel to Dell Road, only about five feet off the ground, and carrying a huge rabbit in its mouth. PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES March 1, 2021 Page 7 Link shared several thoughts about his time on the Commission since 2010 including fond memories of Tom Bierman, the excitement of the aquatics center addition, and the passion of people about their sports. He stated being on the Commission was a great way to serve the community, and he has a great appreciation for the PRNR staff. B. RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER No report. C. COMMUNITY CENTER MANAGER No report. D. PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER 1. Riley Lake Park Play Area. Bourne reminded Commission members concept plans were presented in January for their input. The feedback was provided to the consultant and incorporated into the updated plan. He displayed more detailed plans and highlighted the changes made. The consultant will now prepare construction documents based on these changes. The updated plan includes an outdoor kitchen area with large counter space rather than just grills. This concept is more convenient and a step up from other park facilities. Parking spots have been improved to meet ADA requirements, another access point from the middle of the parking lot has been added, and a paved walkway has been incorporated which is less intrusive than a sidewalk. The play area equipment has not been finalized; however, seating areas with umbrellas and other seating will be available so caregivers can see the playground wherever they are sitting. Elevations and slopes have been incorporated for privacy. Cervantes commended the work done on the project thus far and inquired about use of the outdoor kitchen. Bourne responded exclusive rights to the kitchen area will be given to pavilion rentals, otherwise the area is considered first come-first serve. Ross inquired and Bourne responded the kitchen area does not have running water, but a drinking fountain with an attachment for filling large containers is nearby. Harris inquired and Bourne responded three picnic tables near the playground will be shaded, and the largest piece of playground equipment will have a shade canopy. The consultant will provide construction documents soon so the project can go out to bid in the next month. Once final documents are complete, Bourne will provide an update to the Commission prior to submitting to PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES March 1, 2021 Page 8 Council for final approval. Staff will discuss with contractors to determine if timing is better to start in spring and completed by the 4th of July or wait until September and complete the project in fall. E. PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR 1. PRNR Work Plan. Lotthammer shared the updated 2021 work plan, noting topics will be added as the year progresses. Building improvements being considered at the Senior Center will be discussed and the two new Commission members will be introduced. IX. NEXT MEETING The next PRNR Commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 5, at 7 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. X. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Cervantes moved, seconded by Link, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 8-0. Chair Link adjourned the meeting at 8:50 p.m.