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1999-05-11 Parks and Rec Comm MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MAY 11, 1999 The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, May 11, 1999, in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve. The meeting was called to order at 6:40 p.m. The following Commissioners were present: Liberacki, Libra, Craighead, Connelly, Linnell. Excused from the meeting were Chair Spicer and Commissioner Damberg. City Staff present were Parks Project Manager Guy Kullander, Recreation Programmer Mary Hapka and Administrative Assistant Patrick C. Hollister. Mr. Hollister took the minutes. MINUTES Commissioner Libra moved to approve the April 13, 1999 minutes with no revisions. Commissioner Craighead seconded the motion. AYES: 4 NAYS: 0 ABS: 1 (Connelly) INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME TO COMMISSIONER CONNELLY Mr. Hollister introduced newly appointed Parks and Recreation Commissioner Connelly to the Commission. The Commissioners welcomed Commissioner Connelly to the Parks and Recreation Commission. PLAY EQUIPMENT SAFETY ISSUES Mr. Kullander recommended to the Commission that an expert should be hired to evaluate the safety of the City's various playground equipment. Mr. Kullander said that the maintenance of the play equipment could come out of the General Fund. Mr. Kullander continued that Terry Blum of the Parks Department has noticed broken linkages and other repairs needed for playground equipment, but that no one on City Staff was truly qualified to evaluate the condition of the City's playground equipment. Mr. Kullander said that the playground equipment manufacturers only guarantee the equipment for five years, and that the City's insurance would have to pay after that if someone were to get hurt on the equipment. Mr. Kullander said that fortunately in the years he has worked for Mendota Heights, the City has never received any claim from any injury on any of the City's play equipment. Commissioner Connelly suggested that rather than pay an expert to assess the condition of the City's play equipment, the City could probably get the same expertise for free by putting out a request for proposals to replace unsafe equipment. Commissioner Connelly continued that the City could put the cost of assessing the condition of the equipment on the vendors by requiring them to submit such an assessment as part of their proposal. Commissioner Connelly suggested that the City could prioritize by fixing first what is either in the worst condition, is used the most, or both. Mr. Kullander suggested that it would be possible to set up a schedule to fix one park per year. Commissioner Libra moved to recommend that City Staff audit the condition of the City's playground equipment using whatever information it had available and to prioritize those parks or pieces of equipment which should be fixed first. Commissioner Libra further moved to recommend that the Council authorize up to $ 12,000 per year starting in the year 2000 out of the General Fund for the repair or replacement of unsafe playground equipment for the next several years until all unsafe conditions had been eliminated. Commissioner Liberacki seconded the motion. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN REVISION Mr. Kullander reported that upon closer examination the current Special Parks Fund balance was only about $300,000, not $400,000 as previously thought. Commissioner Libra moved to recommend that the Parks and Recreation Commission adopt the position that the balance of the Special Parks Fund should be maintained at a minimum of $300,000 per year barring any exceptional circumstances or opportunities. Commissioner Craighead seconded the motion. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 Mr. Kullander presented a request from Terry Blum of the Parks Department that the Parks Commission consider the possibility of converting the indoor toilet facility at Kensington Park into storage space. Mr. Kullander said that the toilet facility has never been used by the public, has poor visibility and is susceptible to vandalism. Mr. 7 Kullander added that the toilet facility was redundant and unnecessary and that the Parks Department considered the space to be more useful for storage. Commissioner Connelly moved to recommend that the North Kensington toilet facility be converted into storage space. Commissioner Craighead seconded the motion. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 Mr. Kullander said that the money allocated from the Special Parks Fund for the cross - country ski program at Par 3 golf course last winter was never spent due to the uncooperative weather and mechanical problems with the snowmobile. Mr. Kullander recommended that some of the money allocated for skiing be used instead for grills in the parks. Commissioner Libra moved to recommend that the money allocated for the cross - country ski program at Par 3 golf course be used for grills in the parks. Commissioner Craighead seconded the motion. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 Commissioner Liberacki moved to recommend that the Parks Capital Improvement Plan be revised to show Wentworth warming house replacement and Wentworth hockey rink paving for a combined cost of $70,000 for the year 2000, and Marie hockey rink paving and board replacement at a cost of $65,000 fir the year 2001. Commissioner Connelly seconded the motion. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 PARK DEDICATION FEE INCREASE Mr. Hollister reminded the Commission that they had asked him to revisit the issue of raising the park dedication fees for developers from $750 per lot to $900 per lot. Mr. Hollister said that the last time the Parks Commission had recommended this increase to the Council, the Council had decided not to raise the fees. Mr. Hollister presented the previous fee increase proposal once again to the Commission. Commissioner Libra moved to recommend once again to the Council that they increase the park dedication fee from $750 per lot to $900 per lot and make the other previously 3 proposed revisions, as long as the City Attorney was confident that the changes would not constitute "double taxation." Commissioner Connelly seconded the motion. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 UPDATES Staff provided updates on the following items: • Civic Center Ballfield Improvements • Batting Cage at Mendakota Park • Friendly Hills Warming House/Rec Center • Hoffman Homes/Resurrection Cemetery • Parks Report • Police Report ADJOURN Motion made to adjourn by Linnell and seconded by Connelly. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 The meeting adjourned at 9:40 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Patrick C. Hollister 4