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Parks and Recreation - 08/07/2000 UNAPPROVED MINUTES CITY OF EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS & RECREATION CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMISSION MONDAY,AUGUST 7, 2000 7:00 P.M. CITY CENTER 8080 MITCHELL ROAD PRAIRIE ROOMS A & B COMMISSION MEMBERS: Kim Teaver, Chair; Don Jacobson, Vice Chair; Susan Dickman, Ann Birt, David Larson, Paul Sodt COMMISSION STAFF: Robert A. Lambert, Director Parks and Recreation Services; Tria Mann, Arts and Special Events Coordinator RECORDING SECRETARY: Peggy Rasmussen I. ROLL CALL Kim Teaver called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Don Jacobson was absent. Ann Birt arrived at 7:40 p.m. Visitors to the meeting were Dick Brown and Gordon Gilbert, residents of Realife Valley View Cooperative, who came to hear information about the Smetana Lake project. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —JUNE 5, 2000 MOTION: Dickman moved, seconded by Sodt, to approve the minutes of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting of June 5, 2000, as issued. Motion carried 5-0. IV. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS Update on Birch Island Woods by Friends of Birch Island Woods Jeff Strate, representing the Friends of Birch Island Woods, said the group formed about a year ago. The Birch Island Woods is owned by Hennepin County, which plans to sell it, and has given the City of Eden Prairie the first chance to purchase the land for $1.3 million. The County Board has given the City until December 31, 2000, to buy the land. Strate has found there are as many Minnetonka residents using the area as there are Eden Prairie residents. Eden Prairie has applied for a Metro Greenways Grant. The Metro Greenways group went to the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources to ask for a larger allocation, and did succeed in getting $2.7 million. The Friends of Birch Island Woods are attempting to raise $10,000 and to further lobby the state, Hennepin County and other counties to help the City acquire the land. Jeff Strate has taken Mary Smith of the Metro Council on a tour of the woods and she sent a letter of support. Strate doesn't believe the City will get a grant this year from Metro Greenways. However, he believes the money will be available eventually. PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES August 7, 2000 Page 2 Eden Woods Center serves children with disabilities. Friendship Venture also uses the center. The children enjoy using the Birch Island Woods for hiking. Strate plans to take the County Commissioners on a tour in September. Two of the Commissioners are very interested in helping the City get the property, and the Friends are trying to find a way to persuade Commissioner Randy Johnson to agree to giving the property to the City through a conveyance. If not, his group will ask for a delay in the December 31 deadline. Lambert said it doesn't make sense for a city government to take grant money from a state government agency to purchase land from another government agency, that is, Hennepin County. It makes more sense to transfer ownership to the City and put the land into the City's park system to preserve it. However, the County says it's not in the park business and wants to put the land back on the tax rolls in order to use this money for other county needs. The County gave Eden Prairie the Eden Woods Center and adjacent land. Lambert has been telling the County that giving the City the land benefits the entire area. Strate invited members of the Parks & Recreation Commission to take a tour of the woods with him. Members decided to go individually, and will give Strate the dates they are available and join whatever tour Strate has arranged on those dates. Sodt asked what Strate would like the Commission to do to help the Friends group. Strate said he didn't know what the Commission's legal position is. Lambert explained that, with the reorganization of the City's commissions and boards, this group's primary job is to advise City staff. The Commission is the City's connection to the community and helps staff develop recommendations on new programs and leisure activities. Staff takes that advice and makes final recommendations to the Program Board and the City Council. V. OLD BUSINESS VI. NEW BUSINESSS A. Minnetonka Community Education Annual Fee Lambert explained that in 1972 the City entered into an agreement with the Minnetonka School District to have that district initiate Community Education Programs that would serve Eden Prairie residents within the Minnetonka School District. With that agreement, the City agreed to pay the Minnetonka School District on a per capita basis, the amount to be determined annually, for the number of Eden Prairie residents living within the School District. Up until the late 1980s, at least, the cost to the City was $100 per year, a token amount. Those invoices used to go through the Recreation Department. Sometime in the 1990s the invoices began going directly to the City Manager, and Lambert said he was unaware of when the amount began to increase. Lambert said, in 2000 the City Manager's office received a bill from the Minnetonka School District for $1,427, and Lambert was asked to look into it. PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES August 7, 2000 Page 3 Lambert has talked to Dan Kluzick, Minnetonka's Community Education Director about it. He indicated the current amount the School District is charging the City of Eden Prairie is $.50 per capita, which is based on the estimate of the current population of Eden Prairie residents within the Minnetonka School District. The City of Eden Prairie and the Eden Prairie School District also have a joint Community Education/Recreation Program. In the late 1970s the School Board decided to fund the entire Community Education Program entirely from School District revenue. Since that time, the Eden Prairie School District has developed an extensive Community Education Program without any City funding assistance. Lambert asked if the Commission would advise continuing to pay the Minnetonka School District, using Eden Prairie taxpayers' money. Chanhassen, Deephaven, and others within the Minnetonka School District are not paying for the Minnetonka Community Education program. They contract for any services they need. Lambert thought this is what Eden Prairie should do. Dickman said she has worked on community education programs, as well as joint powers agreements. Unless there is a reason, such as giving Eden Prairie a special service, she could not image that the City would continue it. MOTION: Sodt moved, seconded by Birt, to recommend that City staff re- negotiate its relationship with the Minnetonka School District, with the goal of eliminating the arrangement as no longer pertinent. Motion carried 5-0. B. Smetana Lake Project Lambert said part of the Commission's charter is to develop park plans and determine if those plans have been developed to serve the people they are supposed to serve. Lambert said Liberty Trust gave the City this land for park purposes. The City had never planned having a neighborhood park here. It is in the Golden Triangle Industrial Park. Now there are some residential neighborhoods in the Golden Triangle and a retirement community is being developed. Lambert showed drawings of the proposed project on Smetana Lake. The people who will use this park are people who work and live nearby. They are already using the area at noon-hour and are walking around the lake. It is a very small park of about two acres. The developer was required to put in a parking lot and a trail. What the City is proposing is putting in a park shelter, an overlook and a trail around the lake. Picnic tables would be available inside and outside the shelter. He is proposing a low-profile shelter that would accommodate 50 people. The shelter could be reserved for company picnics by some of the companies in the Golden Triangle, and also by the residents for picnics. There would be a charge for reserving it. A couple of access points would be created. One issue to face is building the park shelter with a set back of 50 feet from the lake. Normal setback to meet City Code is 150 feet. A number of variances from that have been granted further west, however. They want to place the shelter so PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES August 7, 2000 Page 4 there would still be space on the property for those who just want to look at the lake and not interfere with those using the shelter Realife Valley View Cooperative is the new building west of the proposed park. Summerhill Senior Cooperative will soon be constructed. Dick Brown said there will be about 250 seniors living in the two buildings. Birt asked if Eden Prairie residents pay for the park with their taxes. Lambert said they are paid for with Cash Park Fees by developers. All developers have to pay these fees. Taxpayers will pay for operation and maintenance of the park. The trail around the lake will be plowed in the winter. MOTION: Birt moved, seconded by Dickman, to recommend to staff to develop the Smetana Lake Park and trail plan as proposed, and to add park benches along the trail around the lake. Motion carried 5-0. C. Conservation Areas Survey and Management Plans Lambert said the City of Eden Prairie and the Riley/Purgatory/Bluff Creek Watershed District received a Greenways Planning Grant for development of a survey and management plan for the following conservation areas in Eden Prairie: • Edenbrook • Edenvale • Lower Purgatory Creek • Purgatory Creek • Riley Creek • Timber Creek • Westgate The Conservation Areas Survey and Management Plan was completed in June 2000 and provides a survey of the plant communities, as well as management and restoration plans for each of the seven sites. Now the City has a plan to follow. It will take 25-30 years to do it all. The Commission is being asked to direct staff to approve the first phase and to take it to the Program Board, Planning Board, City Council and Watershed District. After it is approved, the City will go to the second phase for plans and specifications for public access and trails. The report identifies priorities to show what the City can do first. The City won't have a special budget to go out and maintain all these sites; they have to save the prioritized areas first. The City has a deal with the Workhouse/Adult Correction Facility. The prisoners can get out of prison early if they work time off. They work on projects like building trails, cutting down trees and shrubs, with a City crew worker in charge. They are also learning some skills so they can get jobs when they get out. PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES August 7, 2000 Page 5 Dickman talked about the Preserve, an association, of which she is manager. There are about 1000 acres in the Preserve, with 185 acres of common ground. Dickman said there is a lot that needs to be done to protect the Preserve and not let it deteriorate. Lambert explained the City could not legally spend money to do anything for the Preserve because it is private property. The only way the Preserve could address that issue would be if their Board of Directors petition the City to do a plan for preservation, and then the Board could make a decision on how to pay for it. Dickman said she would like to see a preservation plan for 25-30 years out. She asked Lambert for any help with that process. Sodt suggested that the Preserve Association go to Barr Engineering, which prepared the survey and management plan, and ask what they would charge for doing that kind of report for the Preserve. MOTION: Dickman moved, seconded by Birt, to approve the Eden Prairie Conservation Areas Survey and Management Plan, and initiate Phase II when appropriate. Motion carried 5-0. Teaver asked if the City does anything to let residents know the City doesn't want certain plants growing in the community. Lambert said no, but that would be a good recommendation, to start an education program to tell people what they should be and should not be planting and to eliminate the others in their area. MOTION: Sodt moved, seconded by Birt, to recommend that City staff investigate the possibility of a community education program about non-native, invasive species of plants. Discussion followed. Birt said she heard someone from the University of Wisconsin on the radio saying these plants are being sold in nurseries and he stressed the need to find out how to educate people not to buy them. Motion carried 5-0. D. Recommendation to Relocate 0-of July Celebration to Round Lake Park Tria Mann said the celebration was held this year at Riley Lake Park and the Eden Prairie Center. The fireworks were shot off from the Kohl's parking lot. During Recreation Staff's evaluation period, they were notified that the current fireworks drop zone would be under construction next year, and Von Maur Department Store will be under construction at the other end of the property. Staff, involving the Police, Fire, and Parks & Recreation, evaluated possible fireworks sites. They looked at Miller Park, Riley Lake Park, Purgatory Creek, Flying Cloud ballfields and airport, other areas at Eden Prairie Center, etc. They concluded that Round Lake Park would be the best location for daytime and evening activities as well as the fireworks display, based on parking availability, access roads, clear zones, fireworks codes, and the ability to provide other programming that is involved PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES August 7, 2000 Page 6 with the event. Mann said it isn't the best for traffic flow but is still the best site. She asked for the Commissioners' opinions, and how they thought the community would feel about going back to Round Lake Park. Dickman asked if Round Lake Park would be open next year. Lambert replied that is questionable. The City is trying to get a permit from the DNR to use "Clarify", a substance for killing bacteria and other organisms in the lake. The DNR sent the request back to the Department of Health. The Health Department considers it an experimental project and can't say it is or isn't safe for humans to be in the water after "Clarify" is used. In spite of that, the department is going to give the City a permit to use it. However, Lambert doesn't want to try it where there's a swimming beach, and invite people to swim there next year, unless he is sure it is safe. He will be meeting with the manufacturer of "Clarify" and tell them to figure out a test that will prove it won't hurt people. The manufacturer would have to do this by next spring, and Lambert hopes they will be able to do it. If not, Lambert said the City probably would want to have daytime activities at Riley Lake and the nighttime activities and fireworks at Round Lake. Teaver asked about crowd control at Round Lake versus Eden Prairie Center. Mann said they estimate there would be 10,000 to 15,000 people coming. There aren't enough parking spaces for that many, but the police would work on a plan for traffic control. The hard job would be to educate the public on where to park, and that will be done through promotional materials. They will be advising people to car-pool or walk, if possible. Mann agreed Round Lake Park wouldn't be able to handle the 20,000 to 30,000 people who have come to the Eden Prairie Center the last couple of years. But with a traffic-control plan and educational materials it should be workable. Larson said it appears there aren't a lot of options. Sodt said he would like to see the Eden Prairie Center management and merchants involved in this decision. Perhaps they want to have the fireworks there and can come back with some good answers. He wouldn't want to create bad feelings. Mann said they don't know about this yet and she planned to talk to them about it. Teaver commended Parks and Recreation Department Staff on the brochure for the July 4th celebration. It had detailed information and was very attractive. MOTION: Sodt moved that, because of construction restrictions at Eden Prairie Center, staff move forward with the recommendation to relocate the July 4th event to Round Lake Park, after receiving comments of management and merchants. Dickman asked to add a friendly amendment that, if they find out Round Lake is not going to be safe to use for the activities, staff is free to have the activities at Riley Lake. Birt seconded the motion and amendment. Motion carried 5-0. E. Proposed Skate Park at Round Lake Park Lambert said the City has discouraged the idea of having a skate park for years because of the liability problem. However, they received a good report from the City's risk manager that said if they keep the skate park ramps to less than 36 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES August 7, 2000 Page 7 inches, the City would not assume any additional risk. A skate park can be designed 36 inches or lower and it can be left open to use any time, or a fence can be built around it and have a supervisor. In that case, the children would pay a fee to cover the cost of the supervisor. Staff recommends a low-profile skate park similar to the one Chanhassen has. If it is built in an open space, rather than a remote location, there will be less chance of graffiti, or big kids kicking little kids out of the park. Lambert suggested a good location for the skate park. There is a small parking lot at Round Lake Park,just west of the flower garden. Getting rid of this parking lot has been suggested because of traffic safety concerns, and it is just about the right size for a skate park. An asphalt overlay would be put down and then the ramps and rails. The ramps would cost $25,000, and the overlay $5,000. Staff would plan to ask service clubs, such as the Lions Club, or other community organizations to fund the project. If not, cash park fees could be used. Sodt asked if Lambert had any idea of the number of people who would use a skate park. Lambert said any city that has built one is adding more because they are so well used. They are used with skate boards and rollerblades. Sodt said he checked with a sporting goods store and was told they are still popular. Lambert said that, if this proves to be popular, the City would likely construct more of them in different areas of the City. They would consider providing a program on how to safely use these facilities. Mann said the City does offer in- line skating programs. After the skate park is ready, the classes could go there for a final lesson. MOTION: Dickman moved, seconded by Birt, to approve the construction of a skate park at Round Lake Park. Discussion followed. Sodt asked if this would be setting a precedent. Lambert said he didn't think building one skate park would set a precedent, or even two. Building a third one might be considered setting a precedent. Sodt said he believed there are many more children playing hockey than would be using the skate park. There are some good arguments for a third rink. Lambert said the residents supported, and paid for, the first rink; the hockey players paid for the second rink. If another group asks for something else, the Commission will have to decide if they want to approve it. Lambert said he recommends building one skate park and, if the use is very high, people will probably come back to ask for more. If the skate park doesn't prove to be popular, the ramps could be sold to another city. Motion carried 5-0. VII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Sodt moved to adjourn the meeting. Chair Teaver adjourned the meeting at 9:00 P.M.