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Parks and Recreation - 09/16/1996 f e r 1 1 1996 September 16 MINUTES 5 s Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Commission CITY OF EDEN PRAIRIE I AGENDA PARKS,RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY,SEPTEMBER 16,1996 7:00 P.M.CITY CENTER 8080 MITCHELL ROAD COUNCIL CHAMBERS COMMISSION MEMBERS: Claire Hilgeman, Chair: Bruce Bowman, Richard Brown, Don Jacobson,Vicki Kocning,David Kracum,John Wilson COMMISSION STAFF: Robert A. Lambert, Director of Parks. Recreation and Natural Resources; Stuart A. Fox, Manager of Parks and Natural Resources; Laurie Helling, Manager of Recreation Services i 1. ROLL CALL i IL APPROVAL_OF AGENDA i III. APPROVAL.OF MINUTES-AUGUST 19 1996 1 t IV. PFTITIONS REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS ; A. Request for Improvements to Wyndham Knoll Park Bike Trail on Dell Road and Fdcn rook Conservation Area V. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS i A. Edenwood Camping and Retreat Center B. The Hills of Eden Prairie C. Eden Hills Townhomcs VI. OLD BUSINESS A. Appointment of Member to City/School Cooperative Review Committee B. Pheasant Woods Play Equipment V11. NEW BUSINESS A. Baseball Association Use of Miller Park Fields B. Softball Association Use of Miller Park Fields C. Athletic Association Use of Parks/Ficl Is for Multiple Seasons D. Tax Forfeited Land iI I x 't. 'f ( Agenda Eden Prairie Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Monday,September 16, 1996 VIII. REPORTS OF COMMIS LONERS AND STAFF A. Report of Director of Parke Recreation and Facilities 1. Update on Purgat_�y Creek Recreation Area B. Report of Manager of Recreation Serviccs 1. Recommendation R Mighly Ducks Ornnt Proposal IX. ADJOURNMENT r t I APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PARKS,RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES MONDAY,SEPTEMBER 16, 1996 7:00 P.M.CITY CENTER Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: Claire Hilgcman, Chair; Bruce Bowman, Richard Brown,Don Jacobson,Vicki Koenig, David Kracum, John Wilson COMMISSION STAFF: Robert A.Lambert,Director of Parks,Recreation and Facilities; Stuart A. Fox, Manager of Parks and Natural Resources; Elinda Bahlcy, Recording Secretary 1, ROLL.CALL i The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m.by Chair Hilgeman. Commissioner j Wilson was absent. Commissioner Bowman arrived at 7:24 p.m.and Commissioner Jacobson arrived at 9:00 p.m. 11, APPROVAL.OF AGENDA Koenig added an item under New Business,E,Bike Tour, i MO T iON: Brown moved, seconded by Kracum, to approve the Agenda as amended. Motion carried 4-0. Ill, APPROVAL OF MINUTES-AUGUST 19,1996 Koenig noted on page 3,first paragraph,where it states,the significant issue is..., change Eden Prairie Creek Trail to Purgatory Creek Trail. MOTION: Brown moved, seconded by Koenig, to approve the Minutes of the August 19, 1996 Eden Prairie Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission as amended. Motion carried 2-0-2 with abstentions by Hilgeman and Kracum. IN1, PETITIONS REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION~ A. l=guest for Improvements to Windham Knoll Park Bike Trail on Dell Road and Fdenbrook Conservation Area Staff referred the Commission to a memo dated September 3, 1996,from j l Robert A. Lambert,Director of Parks,Recreation and Facilities;and a letter Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission dated August 19, 1996,from Jeff Thomas and Joe Kayes,representatives of the Wyndham Knoll neighborhood. Jeff Thomas,6432 Alexander Court,indicated they would like improvements made to the park system around their area. Due to the timing of the meeting they were unable to get a petition from the neighborhood but his neighbors share his views. His request was to raise awareness of the improvements to Wyndham Knoll Park's bike trail along Dell Road,and the nature trail in the Edcnbrook Conservation Area. They have outdated equipment in their playground and many of the smaller children are falling through the large gaps and getting slivers. The residents have been to the newer neighborhoods and enjoyed the improvements made at Miller Park and would like to sec something similar but on a smaller scale added to their park. There also was a request for a berm between the parking lot and the road because it's not screened from the road. They requested that the skating rink be flooded again in the winter and believe there would be a much greater use this time. The preference would be a hockey rink and a warming shelter even if it had to be temporary. The residents also rcqucsted a wading pool in the park. Thomas explained that Bob Lambert informed him by letter there are not enough available funds for these improvements. He urged the Commission i to consider these improvements as they look at other park plans that arc being made and think about the older neighborhoods in Eden Prairie as they add improvements to the newer developed areas. He also requested a bike path be completed on the cast side of Dell Road between'Tristram and Duck Lake Trail because there is no connection. The children arc forced to cross the street at Dell Road and Tristram which is very dangerous. The residents believe this to be a great priority and it seems to be a fairly easy improvment to make. They also would like the bike trail connected to the new Townlinc Road bike trail that will be completed soon. He asked for the path to be completed as it was intended because it would be a great connector. They l are isolated because of the conservation area. i✓ I lie requested that the trail plans for Edenbrook Conservation Area not be moved back another clay. This has been in the plans for several years. There probably has not been anyone from the neighborhood here to talk about it before. It would be n great connector for several neighborhoods. It would also be a great improvement to the values of their homes. He asked the 2 .i Approved Minutes Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Commission to make it recommendation of how they can get these things done and how to make improvmcnts to their neighborhood. Lambert commented that the requests were all very well thought out and arc concerns he shares with the residents. 1 f money was not the issue,he would recommend doing them all.however,money is always the issue. There arc neighborhoods 20 to 30 years older than Wyndham Knoll neighborhood that do not have a park yet. This is it matter of where the City should spend the money and try to give all residents of the community equal access to similar types of facilities. The City should get all the neighborhoods with basic facilities before adding wading pools or extra landscaping to the neighborhoods that already have parks, Commissioner Bowman arrived at 7:24 p.m. { Lambert explained that the bike trail along Dell Road is a safety issue and discussed why it should be connected. It's a collector street that is dangerous for anybody to be crossing whether it be it child or an adult. He suggested the Commission send a recommendation to the City Council strongly asking ; them to consider any way the City can possibly fund that as soon as possible. 1 The Edcnbrook Conservation Area has been on the calendar since the 1980's i and has been pushed back over the years. It's now planned for 1999. Staff ! have been waiting for a neighborhood to ask for it. The last time Staff g initiated a recommendation to put public trails in a conservation area a survey was conducted which showed 50 percent of the residents didn't want the trails and 50 percent did. With this initiative from this neighborhood, staff should send out notices around the Edcnbrook Conservation Area indicating a neighborhood has requested a trail system to be planned. The notice will invite residents to come to the meeting and discuss it. The first meeting should include a representative from the neighborhood, a staff member,and it commission member to listen in. After that the residents would be invited to the Commission meeting. The Commission can then make recommendations to the City Council regarding when it should be done and funding sources. Right now there is a plan for funding from cash park fees. Hilgcman volunteered to be a representative from the Commission since this is her area, She was opposed to asphalt trails in the Edcnbrook Conservation Area. People can walk with or without trails and can still have access without spending thousands of dollars to put in a trail. She believes there arc 3 Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission other things that are more important for the City to spend money on. She has viewed the CIP and is well aware of the neighborhood parks that need to be repaired because of safety issues which is the priority. She also questions the number of people any type of trail would benefit in the conservation area. She agreed with the recommendation about the trail connections on Dell Road. She explained how extensive the survey conducted on the parks in Eden Prairie was and noted that Wyndham Knoll Park rated 14 out of 24. She suggested the residents go visit the parks that are on the top of the list which are in worse shape and have more safety issues than Wyndham Knoll. She was opposed to a skating rink because they don't get used enough and wading pools are not practical right now because of the physical restraints. a Brown suggested having the Highway Department see if the road is wide enough and line it for a temporary bike trail. Lambert replied that a shoulder trail would be too dangerous when only a white line separates a bicyclist and 1 a 3000-pound vehicle going 40 miles an hour. J Hilgeman asked what the policy was for city parks as far as perennial flower beds because Wyndham Knoll Park has that. Lambert replied there is no written policy. The City has emphasized limiting flower beds and more expensive manicured landscaping to community parks like Staring,Round and Miller. Kracum commented they have their statistics and their rankings but the Commission should not forget they are responsible to the people of Eden Prairie. tic commends people when they come forward and show an interest j in the process. I f there arc enough people from this community and from i County Road 4 and County Road 1 areas that come forward, then the Commission has to take that into account and move the project up where it's warranted. Brown was concerned about who manages the wetland along Dell Road. Lambert responded that DNR has laws pertaining to all wetlands in the State of Minnesota. Those wetlands are pan of Eden Prairie parks and open space system and the City owns them. Koenig expressed concern about the safety issue regarding wading pools. { Lambert indicated the only wading pool right now is in the Community 4 i Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Center. "they have opened it during certain months and there are guards within 30 feet of it. Some of the newer pools are not really like the old wading pools. It's almost like a dish with water fountains which the City is considering for Round Lake Park. Bowman questioned whether it's worth it for the Commission to reassess the priority list based on probability of approval. He would rather see some projects get approved that would increase larger sections of trail continuity even if there is a lower priority. There may be times when it may be more appropriate for lower priority,lower cost projects to receive approval than higher priority,high cost projects. it might be worth reassessing the priority list based not just on priority but on a combination of priority and cost. Hilgeman commented they're talking about two different issues. One issue is the park and it's improvements,and the other issue is the trail system which includes the connection on Dell Road,the connection to townline,and even the bike trail through the Edenbrook Conservation Area. Lambert ; concurred and stated it should be about the trail system serving that area { when they request input from the people around Edenbrook Conservation Area. Koenig nominated I-lilgcman as representative for the meeting. She noted that she was not comfortable with the Wyndham Knoll Park issue and would like to sce a petition from the neighborhood. Brown commented there are other neighborhood parks that arc worse than j Wyndham Knoll Pnrk and those residents feel the same about their park as Wyndham Knoll residents. fie doesn't feel it's right to move up one group over another when staff spends the time and energy evaluating the entire neighborhood park system. Hilgeman urged the representatives of Wyndham Knoll to visit Stu Fox and view the survey of the neighborhood parks and bring that information back to their neighborhood. MOTION: Brown moved, seconded by Hilgeman,to notify surrounding neighborhoods of a meeting to discuss the nature trail within Edenbrook Conservation area. Motion carried 5-0. (Commissioner Jacobson arrived at 8:00 p.m.) C 5 I k k Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission IV. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS A. Edenwood Camp*ng and Retreat Center Staff referred the Commission to a memo dated September 12, 1996.from Stuart A. Fox,Manager of Parks and Natural Resources;and a Staff Report dated September 6, 1996.from Michael D.Franzen,City Planner. Ed Stricke, president of Friendship Ventures, reviewed his development proposal with the Commission. This plan represents a portion of the property that is owned by the City that they lease. They run programs for children and adults with disabilities. The major developments are the road coming into the main portion of the property,constructing a new year round program center,dining hall,and replacing four old structures. The plan has very little overall impact in terms of the environment. At the recommendation of staff, they changed the orientation of the building slightly to save more trees on the lake front area. The tree loss for the entire park site is about 5 percent. The access road is a paved road with parking. d The lines go very well with the natural topography of the site. Currently 'A there is runoff into a holding pond area and there is not any likelihood of overflow into the wetland area. Fox reviewed the Staff Report with the Commission. This area was given to the City of Eden Prairie by Hennepin County when they wanted to get out of the property lease business. There is a long term lease as long as the ? property is used as it was when it was taken over, and that was for handicapped activity for youths and adults. This particular site is a relatively small area of the entire 37 acres. Staff calculated a total of 14 trees would I be lost due to construction in that area. The architect made some adjustments due to staffs recommendation of shifting the building to save the large mass of trees to the west. They did not inventory the whole area but estimate tree loss to be about 5 percent of significant trees. The trees that are being put in arc slightly different from the existing trees;however,they are designed to provide for some varied visual interest on the front of the building. The NURP pond mentioned is not technically it NURP pond but a depression to collect storm water. This has been looked at by the Engineering Department and they feel it does meet the standards. However,at some time in the future if the sedimentation basin became clogged,they may want to look at some type of discharge pipe. There is no need for any sidewalks or ` 6 I 1 i Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission i trails. The camp has their own internal trails and sidewalk system mainly of gravel. The public does not access this area at all. There is no grading into the wetlands and new sewer and water services must be brought into this site because there currently is a septic system. It's being brought into the site to handle the fresh and waste water demands needed for the new building,as well as any future expansion on the site. Bowman was concerned that the tree calculation was determined on the entire 37 acres versus two and a half acres. Strickc explained that there may be future development but most of the 53-acre site is not land mass. A lot of that is wetland and lake,and part of the property goes out into the middle of Birch Island Lake. They are interested in retaining as much open space as possible for tree space with vegetation. There is no interest in building buildings to cover the entire ground because they need the open space for 1 their programs and activities. This building is replacement of an existing building and any future development would fall under that category. The new building is slightly larger than the existing one but it replaces four structures instead of one. Koenig was concerned about the Historical Preservation Society. Stricke . replied at this point there has been no determination as to the historical significance of the two structures they were concerned about. At this point they're determining whether it meets minimum criteria to be considered 4 historical. f MOTION: Brown moved, seconded by Koenig, to approve recommendations as per Staff Report of September 12, 1996 for the improvements of the dining hall. Motion curried 5-0-1 with one abstention by Jacobson. j i U. The Hills of Eden Prairie Staff referred the Commission to it memo dated September 12, 1996. from Stuart A. Fox,Manager of Parks and Natural Resources.and a Staff Report dated September 6, 1996,from Michael D. Franzen,City Planner. Dave Pavelka, owner and developer, reviewed his development proposal with the Commission and gave a brief history about the land owned by his grandfather for 93 years. He explained there arc three hills. One is the high hill near the entrance,one is a low hill in the center,and there's an area that's it medium size hill which they call the oak knoll. In the 93 years his t Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission grandfather has owned this site,the trees in the oak knoll have never been cut. There arc trees in there 36 inches in diameter. The proposal is for 37 upscale townhome units in 15 buildings. These townhomes will be rentals starting at$1,300 per month. The plan includes clustering the units in the center of the site and preserving the natural land around that cluster. Tree loss is at 9 percent. There will be a conservation 1 casement placed over the high hill and the oak knoll which is in conjunction with the City of Eden Prairie. They are also placing a conservation casement around their wetland and are going to leave a natural border. There will be a filter and any runoff will go through that filter before it goes into the wetland. Fox reviewed the Staff Report with the Commission. He indicated that the first plan had 45 percent tree loss and now they are down to 9 percent tree loss. The tree replacement requires 24 caliber inches. The landscaping plan mitigates the tree loss,as well as the requirements for new plantings with multiple family homes. The position of the NURP pond will drain to the north and go through it pipe underneath Bryant Lake Drive and end up in the creek on the other side. It is currently being checked by the Engineering Department to make sure it does meet proper sizing. There is no wetland infringement. There will be scenic casements over the common ground that would limit what could be done on those areas. The developer indicated he would like to put an internal type of surface trail with a scenic vista throughout so people can walk up to the top of the knoll and enjoy it. Staff has no problem with that as long as it's defined within the ? terms of the casement agreement. Staff has talked with the developer about the possibility that a trail may be i desired along Bryant Lake Drive sometime in the future. Staff feels there is f adequate right-of-way to construct this trail on Bryant Lake Drive;however, it will be tight in the vicinity of the curve south of the entrance road. The q developer is proposing to build a modular wall in this vicinity to assist with sight distance to the south for oncoming traffic,as well as those exiting the development. Bowman asked who wiil be responsible for the maintenance of the NURP pond because if there is a clogging of the outlot it would not take long for it lot ofhomcs to get flooded. Pavelka replied he owns the property and they will maintain it. It's in their best interest to make sure their property does not g i t Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission get damaged. MOTION: Koenig moved,seconded by Jacobson,to approve The Hills of Eden Prairie per the Staff Report of September 12, 1996. Motion carried 6-0. C. Eden Hills Townhomes Staff referred the Commission to a memo dated September 12, 1996,from Stuart A.Fox,Manager of Parks and Natural Resources.and a Staff Report dated August 23. 1996.from Michael D. Franzen,City Planner. Arne Zachman, developer, reviewed the plans and layout of the property which indicated there are presently three houses and one open lot. The proposal is to move two of the houses up and the third one will get demolished. The idea was to save as many trees as possible. There is no k significant tree loss and any trees that are eight inches in diameter or smaller will be transplanted to the outer portion of the property. Fox reviewed the Staff Report with the Commission. The subdivision does not meet the normal criteria to evaluate tree loss since it is a redevelopment of single family yards. In the past whenever this type of development took place calculations for loss of significant trees were waived because of the fact it was not a native woodland but landscaped yard trees that were being displayed by new roads and building pads. Staff has encouraged the developer to utilize as many of the smaller trees on the site that can be moved with a tree spade. A NURP pond is proposed on the southerly portion of the development. This pond is undergoing evaluation by the City Engineering Department to check for size appropriateness. The outflow of +' the NURP pond would go into the City's storm drain located at Franlo Road and then be carried within the storm drain system to Eden Lake. There is an existing sidewalk on the south easterly corner. When the R condominiums came in there was talk about continuation of the sidewalk and whether or not it should just go across the street to serve the condos or wait " until development took place on the cast side. There is now development on the cast side and staffs recommendation is to continue that five-foot sidealk around the circumference of the project.One problem is there is a retaining wall built rather tall that was built when Franlo Road was upgraded eight or nine years ago, and there's it fire hydrant halfway along there. Staff suggested moving the fire hydrant back up tight against the retaining wall, 9 Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission I or possibly move the fire hydrant service south,closer to the entrance road. In either case it will be it seven-foot sidewalk in the area of the retaining wall. Hilgeman commented site wants to sec tree loss calculations on this project regardless of whether it's native wooded or not. There are very nice oak trees on that site. She secs this as a loophole in the tree ordinance. She liked that f the developer is replacing or saving as many of the smaller trees. By not counting insignificant trees, according to the tree ordinance they are not required to replace with any caliber inches of tree. The developer is not held to a single replacement and that's unfair. The Commission holds other developments to this standard so why should this development be given a different set of standards because the trees arc not native, i Fox gave background information on other cases where this type of situation has come up. He noted that they are required under screening in the landscaping ordinance to plantings based on the fact it's multi-family. They are required to put in an extra amount of trees based on the square footage ' and use of the land mitigation for tree loss. 5i Kracum asked what the survival rate is for transplanting of trees from experience. Zachman replied it depends on the time of year. In the late Fall there is a better chance. The smaller the tree the better it is. Fox said that { depending on the time of year you can have upwards of 90 percent success. i There are 176 trees being planted. i Kracum commented that given the legal status of the tree ordinance it's not ' for this Commission to revise that since there are other ordinances that will apply in terms of adding screening and landscaping material. MOTION: Kracum moved,seconded by Brown,to approve the Eden Hill Townhomes project as per staffs recommendation of September 12, 1996. Motion carried 5-1 with tiny vote by Hilgeman. rt<1 VI. OLD BUSINESS A. Appointment or Member to City/School Cooperative Review Committee Staff referred the Commission to a memo dated September 3, 1996, from Robert A,Lambert, Director of Parks,Recreation and Facilities. \ 10 i I Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Lambert indicated this group may meet three to four times a year and then maybe just an annual meeting or on call. He requested the Parks Commission to appoint a representative to serve Oil this committee. Brown volunteered to be the representative. MOTION: Koenig moved, seconded by Bowman, to nominate Richard Brown as representative to the City/School Cooperative Review Committee Motion carried 6-0. B. Pheasant Woods Play Equipmen Staff referred the Commission to it memo dated September 9, 1996, from Barbara Cross through Bob Lambert, Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities. Lambert requested a recommendation to the City Council on.a bid of $30,000 from Minnesota Playground Inc. for the replacement of the Pheasant Woods play structure. Staff has received concurrence from the neighborhood. MOTION: Browim moved, seconded by Koenig,to approve the bids for Pheasant Woods play structure per staffs recommendation of September 9, 1996. Motion carried 6-0. t V11. NEW BUSINESS A. Baseball Association Use of Miller Park Fields Staff referred the Commission to a memo dated September 10, 1996.from t Stuart A. Fox, Manager of Parks and Natural Resources, a memo dated ! September 11, 1996. from Stuart A. Fox, Manager of Parks and Natural Resources; and it memo dated September 11. 1996, from Stuart A. Fox, r Manager of Parks and Natural Resources. Lambert indicated items A,B,and C can be discussed together. This memo is being brought forward to provide information on the status of the Fall baseball and softball program in Eden Prairie. With the opening of Miller Park, it has become apparent that it is a desired location for youth sport activities because of the quality of the fields and availability of lights. He reviewed the 1995 Fall program and explained maintenance was supplied for 11 's Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission the games which included placement of the basses,dragging the Fields prior to that day's game,chalking of the foul lines,batter's boxes,and painting of the foul lines in the outfield grnss. Lights were used for most of the games and periodic mowing was necessary. Out of the 13 teams listed on the game schedule,only five indicated they were Eden Prairie teams. Discussion continued about the comparison of Eden Prairie's involvement to the City of Bloomington. Second seasons were done to give kids more opportunities to learn a different sport in the second season. Because second season fields are used until the snow falls and start when the snow melts,there is no time for maintenance of the field. They want to put people on notice that there must be time for grass to grow. These fields are going to go down hill if they don't get a rest. Discussion continued regarding whether second season programs need to operate under a different set of criteria than the normal season activities. i Ed Lippert,representing the fall baseball program,indicated fall baseball is not part of the Eden Prairie Baseball Association. It's a separately run function. The Eden Prairie Baseball Association does not sanction or authorize Fall baseball programs. They opted to not participate in the management of the Fall baseball because at the time it was being successfully handled. Fall baseball does not start until the third week of August which leaves a four-week dead period between the last games played during the regular season and the first games played in the Fall baseball. Eden Prairie baseball goes until the last week of September which is before the snow. He discussed the issue of these programs being other than instructional which he disagreed with. The purpose of this is to put kids together that have never r played together and allowing them to play positions they have never played before. He reviewed the makeup of the league,the amount of players,the ages, and their communities. Currently 41 percent of the players in the league are Eden Prairie kids. Thirty-six percent of the games were played at Miller Park which indicates they are bearing less than their fair share. He agrees that they need to coordinate it and it should be a sanctioned event. f They need to work with the City to develop it. He doesn't believe Fall baseball is a money making proposition. Last year's Fall baseball program had approximately I00 Eden Prairie kids and 80 of those were non-travel players. Brown asked how many of the 41 percent of Eden Prairie players { participated in summer baseball. Lippert replied most of them. One of the 12 i I Approved Minutes Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission disadvantages is that in Minnesota there are only 60 days to play. It's a very short season. This Fall program is one opportunity to expand the baseball season. Hilgcinan was concerned whether permission was asked of the City to use the fields for baseball. Lippert replied absolutely. Flilgeman asked what his 1 expectations were of the City regarding maintenance. Lippert replied simply to drag the fields,make sure lights are on and the normal things that are clone. Fie was told that the fields would not be lined for baseball and that was fine with them. Dave Hctzcl,representative of the Girl's Softball Association,explained that j the Fall softball program started for the same reasons as the Full baseball program. Fle described the age groups,the levels in which they play,and the schedules. There are six teams from Eden Prairie and one of those teams has kids from other communities. 7 S I-lilgeman asked how much it costs for participants to participate in the Fall softball program. Hctzcl replied$70 for Eden Prairie players. # C Brown asked how many of the girls participate in the Summer program and i how many in the Fall program have already participated in the Summer i softball program. Hctzcl replied it's about 90 percent. Their goal is to help to provide kids with an enriched athletic experience and to try other positions. S Brown asked how many Sundays will these various teams play in Miller Park for the length of the season. Fletzel indicated they asked for seven fields this j year, four designated softball during Summer and three baseball. They all play on all seven fields for seven weeks and two tournaments. Brown was concerned that Miller Park was getting all the usage. He asked out of the 150 teams playing the percentage of those teams that play on Eden Prairie _ facilities. Hctzcl responded 29 teams of 150 so it's one-fifth or 20 percent. Brown was also concerned about how many kids are actually using Eden Prairie's facilities. Lambert commented there is a$20 fee to be paid by the association and the City has never received it. Fietzel replied that was something that started last year. He will check to sec what happened to it and will get back to Bob. 13 i Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission John Bombcn,president of the Eden Prairie Soccer Association,indicated this is a recreational program which is an in house program with about 98 percent of the players being Eden Prairie residents. They play all games within the confines of Eden Prairie. They have had a Fall soccer program since 1986 and has shown a growth from 500 players approaching 2000 players in house. They serve kids from five years old to 16 years old in 12 j different divisions separated by age. The Fall program is slightly larger than the Spring program. They estimate about 55 to 60 percent of the kids that play in the Fall did not play in the Spring. They do not use Miller Park because they arc not allowed there. The Spring season is separated from the Fall season by approximately nine weeks. The intention of their program is to help youths in Eden Prairie learn the game of soccer and have a good time while doing it. They provide low intensity,low competitive in nature type games. i 1-lilgeman was concerned about the five-year old group. Bombcn indicated } they split the five/six year program into a five and six program because it wits getting too large to manage, Jeff Sdnte, board member of the Eden Prairie Baseball Association. i commented they have delayed the start of baseball to allow the City to get their Spring growth going. They are willing to pay for facility improvements t which he has spoken to Stu Fox about at length. They asked for dragging of the field during the Summer season. They asked for lines when they have games. They use the facility every night that they are allowed to. He noted that baseball does not tear up the grass like soccer and football does,and two of their fields are in very good shape. i Brown asked how many boys participate and what arc their ages. Schue ` replied they start with kindergartners,the six year olds,and run through 18 year olds. They have about 200 boys and their association only allows Eden Prairie residents to participate in their program, He noted that the better athletes that play travel baseball during the Summer end up playing football in the Fall. This makes room for other boys that have made in house to play in the Fall. The better athletes go from sport to sport. Tom Bierman,9160 Flying Cloud Circle, indicated his involvmcnt is soccer administration,is on the board f'or the association and soccer club,and is in charge of the f iclds this year. He noted they are extremely fortunate to havr- the work and support of Stu Fox and Bob Lambert and they have been absolutely outstanding. They serve about 3000 kids and approximately 90 to 95 percent of those arc Eden Prairie residents. They allow for exchange students to conic in and allow for teams to fi II older age brackets. They take 14 i Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission kids 9 through 19. The Fall program is kids 9 through 14 because once they start high school they can't play in the Fall. The Fall program is about six weeks long. To help out this year they bought goals because they got in a bind as a result of the tournaments. They kicked in about$700 because they didn't have a l budget for it. The tournaments last three days with over 10,000 people ` attending which brings dollars into the City of Eden Prairie. He explained the problems they are having which have resulted because of losing high school fields. The staff has been outstanding in finding practice areas. All they need is flat land. He will be educating the players to make them more aware of the problems with the grass. He noted that Woodbury has put in an all weather field which he has priced at about$100,000. This is one solution to look at. i Lambert commented that everyone involved in this process has good intentions and the question is how can they provide more services to their residents. These issues will not be soled at this meeting bccausc they are a long term deal. The Parks Commission and the City Council are the policy makers and they need policies. There are many construction and repair ) projects that statT needs to take care of but they can't because they have field maintenance in the fall. i Hilgeman commented the issue is how many kids serve on these teams from Eden Prairie. They are holding 28 teams and only one or two of them are ! Eden Prairic residents. That's a lot of wear and tear for the sake of 75 girls from Eden Prairie to play. Lambert said if there are 6 teams out of 150 that arc Eden Prairie residents which is 4 percent,maybe Eden Prairie should j only provide 4 percent of the fields. If fall baseball is not run by the y association maybe it shouldn't be allowed to reserve fields. ► Brown stated 90 percent of Fall participants have played in the Summer sport and if the Fall season is not approved it's not like these kids have been cut off rt from any sports. y Lambert commented they must communicate to everyone what the problems arc and sec what they are all willing to do about it. They are going to have to talk at it staff level about it if thcrc's going to be a different standard of level of maintenance for the fall. B. Softball Association Use of Miller Park Fields 15 Approved Minutes i Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission f Included with item A. C. Athletic Association Use of Parks/Fields for Multiple Seasons Included with item A. I D. Tax Forfeited Land 'this is an FYI item. ' E. [like Tout i Koenig inquired of the commissioners and staff whether they would like to go on another bike tour or a tour of the parks before the bad weather arrives. Lambert said at this time of year it would have to be done on Saturday morning because there is not enough light in the evenings. The Commission { did not feel it was necessary but Hilgeman said she would go with Koenig i on a weekday. VIIL REPORTS OF COMMISSIONERS AND STAFF A. Report of Director of Parks Recreation and Facilities 1. Update on Purgn(ory Creek Recreation Area ' This is an FYI item. i i B. Report of Manager of Recreation Services i I. Recommendation RE* Mighty Ducks Grant Proposal i Staff referred the Commission to a memo dated September 10, 1996. ''f' from Llyce Kastigar,Community Center Manager,and a memo dated September 12, 1996, from Joel Klute, Ice Arena and Concession Coordinator. Lambert indicated the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission will be awarding matching grants to eligible communities for the development of new ice arenas and for the improvement of existing arenas. Communities applying for a renovation grant may apply for i- 16 I i ( Approved Minutes Parks,Recreation and Natural Resources Commission I up to$50,000. The grant must be matched by non-state sources on a 1:1 ratio and the proposal submission deadline date is October 5, 1996 for desired construction in 1997. The$200,000 matches the grant for the ice arenas and the$50,000 matches the grant for improvements for existing arenas. Eden Prairie has never applied before because they never had any money to match it. He reviewed the potential renovation projects which are high priorities of the staff,the Hockey Association,and Figure Skating Club. Staff recommends these priorities be submitted in the grant application. If the grant is approved,the City will ask the Hockey Association to provide 25 percent of the project costs,and the City would provide 25 percent. MOTION: Jacobson moved,seconded by Koenig,to apply for the Mighty Ducks Grant of which the City will then match 25 percent and the Hockey Association will match 25 percent. Motion carried 6.0. IX, AD tOURNMENT MOTION: Brown moved,seconded by Koenig,to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 10:37 p.m. r �I I I C 17