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Parks and Recreation - 09/13/2010 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2010 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Geri Napuck (left at 8:31 p.m.), Chair; Tom Bierman, Larry Link, Lee, Elliott-S toering, Derek Gunderson and Joan Oko COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Hutch Coburn STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Pranay Rao and Shyam Raman COMMISSION STAFF PRESENT: Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director Stu Fox, Parks Natural Resources Director Wendy Sevenich, Community Center Manager Beth Witt, Recreation Coordinator Leslie Stovring, Environmental Coordinator Carol Pelzel, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Chair Napuck at 7:03 p.m. Napuck introduced the student representatives and asked them to introduce themselves to the Commission. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion: Oko moved, seconded by Bierman, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion carried, 6-0. III. APPROVAL OF PRNR MINUTES —JUNE 7 AND AUGUST 2, 2010 Bierman asked, as the June 7 minutes reflect, when the Commission would be conducting a brainstorming session on what this Commission would like to see done in the future. Napuck asked if Bierman would like a meeting separate from a regular Commission meeting or if it should be added to their regular agenda. Bierman said he would like to see a separate meeting or a session before their regular meeting. Lotthammer said staff was looking at holding such a session in the early part of next year to allow staff time to gather some background information including some statistics and trends impacting parks and recreation. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 13, 2010 Page 2 Bierman said he is proposing Commission members develop a list of things for staff to think about and they send those ideas to Lotthammer for possible discussion at a future meeting. Oko said she would like to be a little more deadline focused on this item and does not feel it would be unreasonable to invite Commission members to submit their list of three or four recommendations by the November meeting. Oko volunteered to sort through the suggestions with Bierman and to provide Lotthammer a combined list by their December meeting so they can create an outline for a January meeting. She feels if they do this in January staff will have time to pull this information together. Oko said she understands Round Lake is a hot topic and they could group the suggestions and provide them to staff before their December meeting. Link said they had previously discussed more broadly about leaving a legacy. Oko said there had been some prior Commission members who were very interested in having an Eden Prairie water park. That may be five or ten years down the road and she questioned what would need to be done to do that. Link said this would give the Commission an opportunity to be proactive. Oko asked that someone let Coburn and the other student representative know this is their plan and they are to provide her and Bierman with a list of items they would like discussed. She pointed out the student representatives use the parks differently than the Commission members and she would appreciate their input. Motion: Link moved, seconded by Oko, to approve the minutes from the June 7, 2010 Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission meeting. The motion carried 4-0-2 with Napuck and Elliott-Stoering abstaining because of absence from that meeting. Motion: Gunderson moved, seconded by Link, to approve the minutes from the August 2, 2010, Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission meeting. The motion carried 5-0-1 with Oko abstaining because of absence from that meeting. Motion: Bierman moved, seconded by Gunderson, to approve the minutes from the August 2, 2010 Joint Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission and Conservation Commission meeting. The motion carried 5-0-1 with Oko abstaining because of absence from that meeting. IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION A. MILLER PARK SCOREBOARDS Lotthammer reported the City Council awarded a contract for the replacement of scoreboards at Miller Park to AIM Electronics. The funding to pay for the scoreboard replacement is from a Hennepin Youth Sports Grant Program and matching donations from the youth baseball and softball association. The Council also awarded a contract for player benches and that project is getting underway. B. WINTER LRT USE Lotthammer explained the Council authorized staff to submit a Winter Trail Activities Permit to the Three Rivers Park District for the 2010-2011 winter season usage of the LRT trail. The PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 13, 2010 Page 3 Three Rivers Park District does not provide maintenance of the trail system between November 15 and March 31. If winter use is desired, it is up to the individual cities to request a permit for a specific use of the trail during this time period. C. THREE RIVERS PARK PRESENTATION Lotthammer reported three members of the Three Rivers Park District made a presentation to the City Council on what they have been doing and specifically on projects in Eden Prairie. D. STARING LAKE TRAIL BIDS Lotthammer said based on this Commission's recommendation, the Council voted to move forward on the Staring Lake Trail and awarded the bid for this project. They hope to see paving occur within the next two to three weeks. V. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION Fox reported at the August 23 Planning Commission meeting they considered an application by the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District to develop a water resource center on the Kaerwer property at 12800 Gerard Drive. After some discussion, the application was approved by unanimous vote. This facility will become the headquarters for the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District Resource Center for education. Some zoning changes have to be made. This will be a public building located in a residential area. Fox explained language within the Development Agreement will limit parking and other activities. This item will go to the City Council for their consideration within the next month. VI. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS A. CARMEL PARK BALLFIELD Lotthammer reported Jeffery Meyerhofer had suggested the City expand the ball field located at Carmel Park into a larger aggregate ball field and to add a larger backstop to the field. He indicated Fox will present background information on this park and some of the key principles why the ball field has its current design. Lotthammer said staff would like the Commission to provide them with their thoughts or suggestions about this request. Fox provided the Commission with background on how the City develops parks within the City. The existing Comprehensive Park and Open Space Plan shows the current park system. He explained neighborhood parks are typically 10 to 20 acres in size and serve a half mile radius as compared to community parks such as Miller, Round Lake or Starring Lake. He explained Carmel Park's plan was drawn in 1989 and was brought to the Park Commission for review at that time. The biggest challenge for this park is that it was developed in a wetland area. The acreage for this park is about ten acres with only four acres developed. This park is located in the eastern corner of 494/212/Crosstown and Shady Oak Road. It is isolated in terms of other large residential areas. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 13, 2010 Page 4 Fox explained because of the size of the space available at Carmel Park, the limited parking and the amount of wetlands, staff feels this is not a good park to partner with youth associations. If they added an aggregate infield, maintenance of the park would have to be increased. Staff feels as the park exists, it is servicing the neighborhood. Elliott-Stoering asked how many parking spaces are available at this location. Fox answered there are spaces for ten cars. Elliott-S toering said to her the park seems too small for organized games. Fox said the design standard is 30 parking spaces per field for any organized activity. Napuck asked what it would cost to convert this park to an aggregate infield. Lotthammer pointed out Meyerhofer is also asking that the backstop be replaced. Fox explained typically when they put in an aggregate infield they also put in link fences and increase the size of the backstop. The biggest component for a project like this is not the initial installation but the on-going maintenance. Aggregate fields are dragged a minimum of once a week and when there are games they are dragged daily. During the summer they drag 45 baseball and softball fields and line about 50 soccer fields weekly. Link asked what park is closest to this park that has a ball field. Fox responded Forest Hills has two fields that were improved in 2008. Link asked if those fields are used by the association. Fox said they are used by the school, neighborhood and are assigned to the baseball association for league games. In response to a question from Link, Fox explained all fields are open for use except when they are scheduled for leagues. Jeffery Meyerhofer, 11842 Driftwood Rd., said he agrees this park is difficult to access in terms of parking. The field has potholes where the bases should be and the backstop is in poor condition. Meyerhofer indicated there is a new development coming behind his development and this park will need to serve that development. The homes will be connected through the trail system. He said he does not believe it is appropriate to ask five or six year olds to cross 494 to get to Forest Hills. Meyerhofer said they are asking for something that would involve a minimum investment to improve this park. Napuck questioned if Meyerhofer had talked to the neighbors and if they have indicated they are in favor of his request. Meyerhofer said he had sent out an e-mail to a majority of the neighborhood and the adjoining neighborhood and the only comments that came back were that they wanted the outfield left alone. They do not want a fence put up in the outfield. They wanted the area to be kept open for other events. He indicated that no one uses the field because of its poor condition. For the most part, he did receive positive feedback from the surrounding neighbors. Oko asked if Meyerhofer is proposing that this park be used for league play or for neighborhood play. Meyerhofer responded he was thinking more on the neighborhood side and that would not require City staff to come out and line the field. They would want to maintain the site and weekly dragging would be required. Meyerhofer said their main request is that the park be better maintained. New playground equipment has been added and now they just want maintenance extended to the ball field. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 13, 2010 Page 5 Lotthammer explained the City only has one piece of equipment to drag the various fields and if they were to drag this field it would be taking that piece of equipment away from higher end fields and that is a concern. The turf at this field is not in good playable condition and the soils at this location are not great for growing grass. Elliott-S toering questioned if they increased some of the maintenance and mowing of the field would it help improve the park for back up games or should this park be put on the agenda for potential upgrade. Elliott-Stoering said it appears that they should do some maintenance so the ball field is usable and then look at it for possible upgrade. Joe Dietlin, 6352 Fallbrook Road, said the reason they are here this evening is because of the general condition of the field. As far as the neighborhood is concerned, he does not believe they expect any big new ball field. Oko asked if the Raspberry Hill development in this area will generate any new park fees. Fox responded this development is already developed. The developer has put in some of the public utilities but is having financial difficulty and there are some on-going issues with that development. There is very little land available for a housing development in that area. Oko asked if the City has received any census results as to the age group in that area. She was questioning if there is a younger population than 1989 requiring a higher usage of parks. Oko said she would like to look at this park before they make a decision on whether or not it should be upgraded. Lotthammer said they have not received any recent census information. Gunderson said he did visit the park and did notice new wood chips were deposited but not distributed. The field had vehicle marks on it and he questioned if people are driving on it. Gunderson said it appears that the park is relatively quiet and it would be great to put a field out there but he has reservations in doing so because it would detract from this site. Lotthammer said they could look into making the park better from a turf concept. The soil quality is not good but it does have some opportunities to improve. Staff doesn't generally make it every year to every park system with weed control or aeration but they will take a good look at trying to strengthen the turf at this park this fall. Generally they don't have the manpower and time available for this level of park. If they did do additional work on this site the quality could come up with some effort. Lotthammer recommended staff take a look at this park and do whatever they can to improve the field quality. Elliott-S toering asked if the parking lot at this park could be expanded. Fox responded the parking lot expansion would require dealing with wetland issues. Meyerhofer said they would be better off putting in an aggregate infield and maintain that rather than upgrade the turf. Lotthammer explained the biggest cost is the maintenance of an aggregate infield. Turf management would allow them to get the field back up and hopefully Mother Nature would take care of the rest. Lotthammer said even if they could expand the PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 13, 2010 Page 6 parking lot, most neighborhood park neighbors do not want athletic associations coming into their neighborhood. Meyerhofer said a potential compromise may be to replace the backstop,potentially put bases out and do turf control so they have some type of playing field. Lotthammer said the turf management is something they can do internally. However, the Budget Advisory Commission has asked staff to prioritize every one of their projects. Any capital for a backstop is not included in the five-year plan so they cannot even move it ahead of other projects. Staff can do some turf management and fill in holes in the field. They can also look at eventually putting this in the long-term capital plan. Napuck said they need to consider setting a precedent. There are other similar neighborhood parks with limited parking. She agrees that something should be done this fall to improve the area,however, a backstop costing $5,000 has not been budgeted for and with the current economic situation it is difficult to find money for that. Napuck said there are other neighborhood parks that are probably in very similar condition and she is concerned other neighbors surrounding neighborhood parks will request the same things and this is something this Commission has to be mindful of. They are limited on what they can do during these difficult financial times. Oko said the Commission has discussed leaving a legacy and thinking ahead with what they want to see. She suggested at their November meeting they look at how many neighborhood parks are the same size as Carmel Park and what the cost for a backstop and aggregate field would be. Some of these parks were developed 20 years ago and maybe they should consider putting them in a future plan for upgrading. Elliott-S toering said she agrees this is something they should look at and consider putting money in the capital plans for improvements in that area. She asked if it is possible to add bases at the Carmel Park field. Fox explained the type of bases they put in the ball fields would not work here. The City would be responsible if someone was injured on these bases and the City did not maintain the field. Napuck said she agrees this matter should be discussed further at their November meeting. She would like to see information on neighborhood parks and demographic changes. Lotthammer said staff would look at some turf maintenance at this park and filling in holes that are on the field and also do some weed control this fall. Oko said if they are worried about setting a precedent, they should know what the cost would be to develop these parks and multiply that with the number of potential parks that could be upgraded. If they are looking at three parks the overall capital cost would be limited. Link said he thinks all of the Commission members should visit Carmel Park and present any additional comments they might have at a future meeting. Maybe after everyone visits the park they will decide improvements can't be made to it. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 13, 2010 Page 7 VII. OLD BUSINESS A. MAC LEASE UPDATE Lotthammer reported MAC will be looking at the proposed lease on September 19 and their Board will basically ratify what the City Council did and the City will have an executed lease as of September 20. The City will then be able to move forward with a contract with HTPO for construction plans. Request for bids would be out in January/February with construction starting in the spring. Due to the absence of Vice-Chair Coburn, Napuck appointed Gunderson as Acting Chair. Napuck left the meeting at 8:13 p.m. VIII. NEW BUSINESS A. BEACH USE SUMMARY Witt presented an update on beach use from this past summer. She reviewed aquatic staff hiring including 72 lifeguards and the importance of lifeguard presence in City swimming facilities. There were 12 saves by lifeguards this past summer. Witt also reviewed the beach operating budget with expenses totaling $25,198 including wages, supplies and uniforms. Lake Riley was opened June 13 and closed August 22 and they were closed three of those days due to weather. In 2008 there were 16,958 users of Lake Riley and 15,371 in 2009 and 17,454 in 2010. Witt explained Round Lake Beach was not opened because of water quality. Bierman said having 72 lifeguards and never hearing of any problems with these individuals someone is doing something right and he hoped they are documenting what they are doing. With regard to the 12 saves, Bierman questioned if they do or should do something to recognize these lifeguards who performed the saves. He is impressed with their actions and how they make a significant difference in saving the lives of these 12 individuals. Bierman asked if they should be acknowledged in front of this Commission. Witt said going forward this is something they could do. She said they do not always acquire the name of the lifeguard who performed the save but is something they can do in the future. Bierman said he feels these individuals should be recognized by this Commission and be told the Commission appreciates their efforts. Link said he loves the beach and feels staff is doing a wonderful job there. He asked if dogs are allowed to swim at the beach. Witt explained many times they are asked if the dogs can swim with the patrons. They do allow the dog to swim outside of the swim area but want to keep the swimmer inside the swim area. Link also asked if they allow lap swimming in the lake. Witt said they do if the swimmer swims along the ropes outside of the swim area. This is something they will consider further in the future because they have had requests for this from triathletes. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 13, 2010 Page 8 B. WATER QUALITY Stovring presented information on water quality in various lakes in the City along with the efforts being undertaken to maintain water quality. She reviewed the water quality of the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District including Anderson Lakes, Birch Island Lake, Bryant Lake and Smetana Lake. She also reviewed the Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District including Rice Marsh Lake, Riley Lake, Riley Creek, Duck Lake, Round Lake, Mitchell Lake, Red Rock Lake, McCoy Lake and Starring Lake. Other lakes reviewed were Eden Lake, Neill Lake and Lake Idlewild. Stovring briefly reviewed the draft Stormwater Utility Budget for 2011 to 2015. In response to a question from Oko, Stovring explained revenue collected through the water utility is approximately $850,000 a year. They are planning to slowly increase this over the next few years. A lot of what the City expends funds on is required by the State and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. IX. REPORTS OF STAFF A. PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER 1. Wildlife Manaizement Stovring presented a brief update on the City's Goose Management Program. She explained the City hires a consultant to go out and evaluate various sites and if there are more than 12 geese located at the site they will collect those geese. This year they did not find very many sites that required collection. Due to the time, the Commission agreed to continue a report on Deer Management in the City. Motion: Motion was made by Elliott-S toering, seconded by Bierman, to table the deer management presentation to a future meeting. Motion carried, 5-0. 2. Tree Trust Project Update Fox reported that at a previous Commission meeting it was requested that staff present an update on the Tree Trust Project. He presented a brief history of the Tree Trust Program explaining that the program started in 1976 to bring together people within their communities to plant trees and to enrich the nature environment. Fox explained over the last few years staff has identified a project that needs the skill set of youth 14 to 17 years old with limited working knowledge. This provides them with a good training opportunity. The 2010 projects included RTA trail stabilization, a retaining wall restoration project at Toft Cove and construction of access steps to an electrical panel for the winter aeration system at Mitchell Lake. Fox reported the project lasts for about eight to ten weeks and essentially the City pays for the material. PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION September 13, 2010 Page 9 Elliott-S toering said she was at RTA when they were working on that project. There was a steep slope and they were pushing wheel barrels and working very hard. She felt it was a great effort on their part and it is money well spent. B. COMMUNITY CENTER MANAGER FYI: Friends & Family Fitness Open House—September 18 C. RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER FYI: Sunbonnet Day— September 11 FYI: Art Crawl—September 25-26 FYI: Sneak Peek—September 17 FYI: One Acts — September 24-26, October 1-3 FYI: City-wide Open House— October 9 D. PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR 1. 2010 PRNR Work Plan 2. October PRNR Meetinlz Since this meeting was delayed because of the Labor Day holiday, Lotthammer said it may not be necessary to hold a meeting in October. Once they determine if there is nothing that needs to be considered in October he will send an e-mail to the Commission letting them know if the October meeting is cancelled. If any Commission member wants to meet in October they should let Lotthammer know. X. NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission is Monday, October 4 in the Council Chambers. X. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Bierman moved, seconded by Elliott-S toering, to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 9:27 p.m.