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1999-01-13 Parks and Rec Comm MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES JANUARY 13, 199 The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, January 13, 1998, in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. The following Commissioners were present: Spicer, Kleinglass, Liberacki, Norton, Damberg, and Linnell. Commissioner Libra arrived late. Also present were Recreation Programmer Bill Bird, and Administrative Assistant Patrick C. Hollister. APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 9, 1997 PARK AND RECREATION MINUTES Commissioner Linnell moved to approve the December 9, 1997 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes with no corrections. Commissioner Liberacki seconded the motion. AYES: 6 NAYS: 0 REQUEST FOR SANDING AND SALTING OF TRAILS Mr. Hollister presented a memo from Public Works Director Jim Danielson explaining that the City had received a request to sand and salt trails. Mr. Hollister summarized Mr. Danielson's reasons for not sanding and salting the trails. Chairman Spicer said that the Commission agreed with Mr. Danielson, and directed Mr. Hollister to write a letter to the resident explaining the reasons for not sanding and salting the trails. Commissioner Damberg asked how much it would cost to plow the trails. Commissioner Damberg added that if the City did plow the trails, they should place highest priority on those trails with the highest amount of traffic. Mr. Hollister said that the City does currently plow trails that are major walking paths to local schools. Mr. Hollister said that he would get a cost estimate of materials and labor for plowing trails from Mr. Kullander. Commissioner Liberacki commented that the City seemed to have purchased a major new piece of road equipment recently, and that he had seen it on Mendota Heights Road and near the water tower. Mr. Liberacki said that that new equipment had some sort of brush. Mr. Hollister said that he would ask what the equipment was. Commissioner Kleinglass said that there is a potentially dangerous situation for runners or joggers on Victoria between Highway 13 and Marie. Commissioner Kleinglass said that he likes to run, but that he would not run on Victoria. Mr. Hollister asked Commissioner Kleinglass what measures he would take to address the situation. Commissioner Kleinglass said that there should be a trail on Victoria to Douglas. Commissioner Kleinglass also said that Celia to Diane was potentially dangerous, and that there was not much of a shoulder. Commissioner Kleinglass said that the situation was potentially dangerous year - round. Commissioner Norton said that the speed limit should be enforced. Commissioner Damberg said that there should be random speed checks. Commissioner Damberg asked Mr. Hollister to ask Mr. Kullander for a timeline on trail extensions. Mr. Hollister agreed to ask Mr. Kullander for that information. RESULTS FROM MISSISSIPPI NATIONAL RIVER AND RECREATION AREA DISCUSSION Mr. Hollister reminded the Commission that on January 9, 1998 at 9:00 am at City Hall, Mendota Heights City Staff had met with representatives from Mendota, Lilydale, Saint Paul, Fort Snelling, Dakota County, the DNR, MnDOT, the State Historic Preservation Office, the National Park Service and the Metropolitan Council, as well as District #15 Councilmember Kevin Howe, to discuss issues common to one or more of the jurisdictions in relation to the Minnesota National River and Recreation Area (i.e., the Mississippi River). Mr. Hollister continued that key topics in the discussion included park and trail improvements and linkages, land use, design standards, historic preservation, and stormwater management. Mr. Hollister also thanked Commissioner Damberg for attending the meeting. Mr. Hollister also mentioned that of particular interest was a presentation by Hanna Dunnovitz about wildlife habit and migration corridors along the river area. Commissioner Damberg said that there should be plaques marking destination points and natural areas. Commissioner Damberg said that the Cities of Mendota Heights, Mendota and Lilydale are sometimes in an adversarial relationship and that there should be more meetings and collaboration. The Commissioners also inquired about the possibility of conducting a natural survey of the Mendota/Lilydale/Mendota Heights portion of the Critical Area. Mr. Hollister agreed to research how much it would cost and how much money would be available. 2 Commissioner Damberg commented that MnDOT appeared to be more sensitive to input from various constituencies in the design of the new 35E bridge than they had been with other projects in the past. [Commissioner Libra arrived at this point.] Commissioner Linnell said that it would be good to do a natural survey of Resurrection Cemetery. Commissioner Damberg said that people in the their own back yard may have a migratory corridor, and that the food source should be maintained. Commissioner Damberg said that it would be interesting to know how viable the natural habitats along the river are and what would be good steps to maintain them. Commissioner Linnell said that the Fish and Wildlife service and Hanna Dunnovitz also have grants for purchase of ecologically sensitive areas for open space. Commissioner Linnell added that the December 17, 1997 article of the Minneapolis Star - Tribune mentioned the Upper Bluff Area, and specifically that Richfield and Minneapolis were making a deal with Fort Snelling for access to the Fort's ballfields. Commissioner Linnell said that since Mendota Heights was also interested in ballfield space, the City should also talk to Fort Snelling. Commissioner Linnell said that they should also find uses for the old buildings at the Fort. SIBLEY ACTIVITY CENTER PROPOSAL DISCUSSION Mr. Hollister summarized the issue of the proposed Sibley Activity Center for the Commission and asked the Commission for their input. Commissioner Libra, active in the Sting soccer organization, said that his organization was never contacted about this proposal. Commissioner Libra said that the soccer parents were not the driving force behind this proposal, and that the proposal was probably driven by hockey parents. Commissioner Libra said that there was little demand for this facility among the soccer parents. Commissioner Libra said that at this point the soccer organization had no position on this proposal, but added that Dave Wright, the former West Saint Paul soccer leader, has been asked to join a Committee to discuss this proposal. Commissioner Libra said that Sting would be taking a formal stance on this proposal soon. Commissioner Libra said that the original version that the City has is too expensive, and remarked that the cost estimates depend on projected contributions from the City despite the fact that the City has never made any indication of its willingness to participate financially. Commissioner Libra said that much of the information provided to date is suspect. Commissioner Libra said that even though the author of the proposal claims that this would pay for itself, no one really knows. Commissioner Libra added that it could be a good facility, but that the cost figures were still too vague. Commissioner Libra said 3 that if the proposal actually paid for itself, side -by -side hockey and soccer facilities would be better than a combined facility. Commissioner Damberg asked where the School District was going to find the money for this project, especially in light of the fact that the School District had not budgeted enough money to construct the new schools or even to demolish Grass Junior High School. Commissioner Damberg also felt that maintaining personnel to operate the Activity Center would be expensive. Commissioner Liberacki reiterated Commissioner Damberg's concern about how the School District could afford an Activity Center. Commissioner Liberacki said that the authors of this proposal for an Activity Center had apparently "loaded it up like a Christmas tree" in an attempt garner support from as many constituencies as possible. Commissioner Liberacki said that a Senior Center would be good in Mendota Heights, but that Sibley represented a bad location for it. Commissioner Liberacki said that somewhere near Mendota Plaza and the new HRA senior housing might be a better location for a Senior Center. Chair Spicer said that the amenities that the Activity Center would bring would be nice, but that it would be even nicer to know much it will all cost. Commissioner Spicer said that the hockey parents already got two new ice sheets in Inver Grove Heights, but that there seemed to be an insatiable demand for ice sheets, perhaps due to the increase in girls' participation in hockey. Chair Spicer said that the current thinking in building recreation facilities is to combine as many functions as possible, and that this must be how a Senior Center and an ice sheet got combined. Chair Spicer said that the facility would be nice if the numbers worked out and if it could pay for itself. Commissioner Linnell said that he talked to David Jackson on the School Board about this proposal, and that the latest version indicated that the soccer dome would be separate from hockey. Commissioner Linnell said that in deciding whether or not to support this proposal, the City should consider the cost of providing a similar facility on its own. Commissioner Linnell added that part of the analysis should include research how much a similar sized piece of land would take off of the tax rolls. Commissioner Linnell said that in this case the land was available at essentially no cost. Commissioner Linnell said that some ongoing subsidy from the City for an Activity Center at Sibley would be acceptable. In summary, the Commissioners all told Staff that none of them were spearheading the movement for the Activity Center. All Commissioners except Commissioner Linnell seemed to agree that they could only support an Activity Center if it paid for itself. All Commissioners except Commissioner Linnell also seemed to agree that the cost numbers thus far had been suspect. Commissioner Linnell appeared to be alone in saying that some ongoing subsidy from the City would be justified for the Activity Center. 4 MR. KULLANDER'S SCHEDULE Mr. Hollister presented a list of Parks and Recreation projects for 1998 drawn up by Mr. Kullander. Mr. Hollister said that Mr. Kullander was looking for direction on which items had the greatest priority. Chair Spicier said that each Commission should take the list home and examine it further. Commissioner Linnell said that Mr. Kullander currently had too much on his plate. Commissioner Linnell said that he felt that Hagstrom King tennis courts were not a high priority. Commissioner Linnell said that the City has enough tennis courts, and that participation in tennis is going down nationally anyway. Commissioner Liberacki asked about the status of improvements to Friendly Marsh Park. Mr. Hollister said that he would ask Mr. Kullander about Friendly Marsh Park. Chair Spicer said that each Commissioner should take Mr. Kullander's list home, think about it, and bring it back to the next meeting. Chair Spicer added that felt that all of the items on Mr. Kullander's list should be done this year. Commissioner Linnell said that his top priorities on Mr. Kullander's list would be the picnic shelters, the senior housing trail, and then anything else. In regards to the HRA senior housing facility's access to Mendota Plaza, Chair Spicer said that the City should just plow the "natural trail" near Mendota Plaza for the seniors. Commissioner Linnell asked what our priorities were this year, whether they were open space, the proposed Sibley Activity Center, recreation programs, or natural areas within the City. Commissioner Linnell suggested that Mr. Hollister should create a schedule for the year detailing the various projects to be discussed and completed. Chair Spicer said that the Parks and Recreation Commission was in an advisory position with no formal authority. Chair Spicer said that this was evident in discussions about a full -time recreation programmer. Chair Spicer said that it was nice being on the Commission during the referendum period, but that now the Parks Commission was floundering. Steve Kleinglass said that he would like to hear Mr. Bird's view on what the City's priorities should be in the area of Parks and Recreation. Commissioner Damberg agreed. Commissioner Linnell said that the City should provide activities from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for youth. Mr. Bird said that he talked to Friendly Hills Middle School, and that the school currently scheduled programs for that time. Chair Spicer said that the accumulation of open space should be the number one priority for the City in the area of Parks and Recreation. Commissioner Linnell asked when the Park Referendum would be paid in full. Chair Spicer said that he believed that it was the year 2004. Mr. Hollister agreed to look it up. Commissioner Liberacki asked when the next opportunity would be for the Parks and Recreation Commissioners to be involved in the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Hollister said that he would provide a calendar of the Comprehensive Plan process. Commissioner Linnell said that the various neighborhoods should be asked about Park and Recreation issues. Commissioner Linnell also said that on a particular Commission meeting date, if no significant business was on the agenda, the Commission should take a tour. Chair Spicer said that Bill Bird has done a good job, and that the City should still have a full -time recreation programmer. Commissioner Libra said that for future Parks and Recreation Commission meetings the list of projects from Mr. Kullander would be useful. Commissioner Libra said that the Parks and Recreation Commission should have a calendar for planning meetings, and decide which meetings are expendable. Commissioner Libra said that the Commission should plan out the year, and could skip meetings. Chair Spicer told Mr. Hollister to ask Mr. Kullander when the best time was to review the CIP. Commissioner Liberacki said that it should tie in to the City's budget process. Mr. Hollister agreed to provide a budget process calendar. Commissioner Libra said to look at the completion of trails one month and open space the next month. Commissioner Norton said that it is not too late for Cross Country Ski Trails this winter. Commissioner Norton added that one issue that she was concerned about was educational efforts regarding flora and fauna, and the value of native plants. Commissioner Norton 6 said that a program could be done with Saint Paul Energy Consortium and Landscape Alternatives to make residents aware of these issues. Commissioner Norton said that these organizations could give presentations on Native Plantings and educate the public. Commissioner Damberg said that residents should know the value of native plantings in their own yards. Commissioner Norton said that the City should take the lead and install native prairies on select parcels of City owned property. Mr. Hollister said that the program could be combined with the Garden Club. Commissioner Norton recommended the Lilydale Garden Club. UPDATES Recreation Programmer's Update Mr. Bird updated the Parks Commission on his activities, including hiring rink attendants, assisting the Mendota Heights Senior Club, youth day trips with West Saint Paul, adult open volleyball at Mendota Elementary School, ice skating lessons, softball registrations, and joint programming with Community Education. Parks Report There were no comments on this item. Police Report There were no comments on this item. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Libra wished to congratulate the Sibley girls' and boys' soccer teams. Commissioner Libra said that the girls' team was the State Champion this year, and that the boys' team also did quite well. ADJOURN Motion made to adjourn by Kleinglass and seconded by Libra. AYES: 7 NAYS: 0 The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Patrick C. Hollister 7