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2011-12-13 Parks and Rec Comm MinutesPage - 1 CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PARKS AND RECREATION MEETING December 13, 2011 The December 2011 meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, December 13, 2011at Mendota Heights City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve. Chair Ray Morris called to order the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting at 6:32 p.m. The following Commissioners were present: Chair Ray Morris, Commissioners Mary McGrory-Ussett, Mike Toth, Stephanie Levine, Steve Commers, Tom Kraus and David Miller. Staff present: Assistant to the City Administrator Jake Sedlacek and Recreation Programmer Teresa Gangelhoff. Approval of Minutes The minutes from the November 9, 2011 meeting were not including in the agenda packet, the commission requested that they be included as a part of the January meeting agenda. Parks and Recreation Report Ms. Gangelhoff presented the Recreation Programmers Report. The Learn to Skate program is already filled. Citizens are encouraged to call City Hall to be placed on a waiting list as the instructor will add classes as she is able. Ice rinks and warming houses are scheduled to open next Saturday, December 17 – warm weather will push back the opening date. Staff is prepared to make ice as soon as weather permits – the ice rink hotline will be updated as appropriate. Planning is already underway for spring and summer programs for 2012, which will be featured in the next edition of Heights Highlights, which will be out in early February. Parks Celebration Planning 2012 will mark the 25th anniversary of the Mendota Heights Park Celebration. Mr. Sedlacek outlined the activities that were included for 2011; there was consensus to do those activities at a minimum. The commission brainstormed ideas for the 2012 celebration and requested that a media plan be drafted for consideration. Promotional materials should include press releases, posters, banners and email blasts. The commission voiced support for more activities for all ages, occurring across the community. The Mendota Plaza will be approached about hosting an event, potentially a car show on the Saturday of the parks celebration. Staff will prepare a list of activities for the next commission meeting, so we can seek volunteers to assist with coordinating the event. Parks and Recreation Goals: The commission had lengthy discussion on the five year capital improvement plan (CIP). This document provides the vision for the community in terms of recreation facilities. The first year of the CIP is provided to city council as a part of their budget discussions each year. Traditionally, the CIP was heavily managed by staff, making suggestions on projects for the short and long term. A typical projected cost for improvements each year ranged from $70,000 to $100,000. The commission expressed interest in reviewing the CIP at least twice annually. Page - 2 Regular review should include the special parks fund balance, a summary of project estimates and a recap of recent expenditures. The commission also discussed taking at least one field trip every year, in order to stay familiar with park facilities. This might also improve awareness of the parks and recreation commission within the community. In another effort to become more familiar with the parks facilities, there was support for an idea to have commissioners review the list of all facilities and “adopt” parks that they would pay special attention to over the year. Oversight of the Par 3 Golf Course was discussed at length – the commission would like to receive detailed reports of course performance on a monthly basis – the city needs to focus on filling excess capacity on the course. The national popularity of golf has been on a downward trend, and weather conditions have been poor for golf over the past couple of years. We need to be aware that “normal weather” may be a thing of the past, so our focus should be on how to make profit when possible at the course. The greens committee is an ad-hoc group that serves to discuss course improvements and opportunities at length, so that the parks and recreation commission gets a clearer definition of policy questions for the Par 3. Commissioners who also serve on the greens committee described a lack of structure and decorum as hurdles to the work the committee could be completing. Commissioner Miller made a motion that the parks and recreation commission request that the city council formally create a greens committee Discussion of the motion included clarification on the expectation for city council action. Commissioner Miller stated that his intent was to have council authorize the formation, but leave scheduling of the commission as well as appointment of members to the parks and recreation commission. The role of the greens committee would be to discuss golf course improvements and programming at length, to provide the commission with a sound recommendation. AYES 7: NAYS 0 In the discussion regarding the greens committee, the commission discussed meeting decorum, and directed staff to provide a regular review of meeting decorum and rules of order both for the greens committee and for the commission. The Mendota Heights Athletic Association currently receives annual funding from the city of $10,000, plus a reimbursement for T-ball participants. Staff will be asking MHAA for regular reports to the commission. Frequency and level of detail for the reporting was not decided, and will be discussed with MHAA. Staff is researching the relationship between cities and youth athletic associations in the area before making the request of MHAA. The status of the Special Parks Fund was of particular concern to the commission – it has been a long standing goal to maintain a minimum balance of $200,000 in the fund. The current balance is $205,352. In recent projects, the parks and recreation commission has recommended partial funding from the cell tower revenue fund to maintain the special park fund balance. The commission considered the challenge in balancing the role of advising the city council on current/long-term parks needs with protecting the special parks fund balance. Because new parks dedication funding from development will be limited the commission agreed that there needs to be greater focus on the five year capital improvement plan. Page - 3 Commissioner Commers asked the commission to consider changing the date of the annual bonfire to be the Saturday before Halloween. The concern is that some residents cannot attend on Halloween as they are home handing out treats. It was noted that holding the event on Halloween provides a safe place for youth to gather and has worked for a large portion of the community. No change is proposed at this time. City staffing for the parks and recreation commission was the final topic of discussion – Mr. Sedlacek and the commissioners recognize that the level of staff support provided to the commission has flagged since Guy Kullander retired. Mr. Sedlacek will work with the new city administrator to ensure that staffing meets up with the needs of the commission. January Meeting Due to the significant changeover that will occur for the February meeting, the commission asked staff to place the election of a new chair and vice chair on the January meeting agenda. Chair Morris adjourned the meeting at 8:32 p.m.