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2001-04-10 Parks and Rec Comm MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 10, 2001 The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, April 10, 2001, 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: Chair Richard Spicer and Commissioners Stan Linnell, Jay Liberacki, Raymond Morris, Dave Libra, Larry Craighead, and Paul Portz. City Staff present was Administrative Assistant Patrick C. Hollister. Also present were Councilmember Jack Vitelli, Councilmember Mary - Jeanne Schneeman, Town Center Consultant Carolyn Krall, and Town Center Consultant Janis LaDouceur. Mr. Hollister took the minutes. MINUTES Commissioner Morris moved to approve the minutes from the March 13, 2001 meeting. Commissioner Libra seconded the motion. AYES: 7 NAYS: 0 TOWN CENTER DISCUSSION WITH CAROLYN KRALL AND JANIS LADOUCEUR Mr. Hollister introduced the City's consultants for the Town Center project, Carolyn Krall and Janis LaDouceur. Ms. Krall and Ms. LaDouceur presented the Open Space, Recreational, and Civic Amenities aspects of the Town Concept Plan to the Commission. Commissioner Craighead then made a motion to make the following nine recommendations to the Council regarding the Town Center Concept Plan: Remove or relocate the center building labeled "retail and office" and replace it with a fornial park area. (The Commission felt that the Town Center needed more green space and that the current "village green" and "town square" spaces were too small.) 2. Remove roads from the project where they are not necessary to provide access to the buildings. (The Commission felt that several of the buildings do not need road access on all four sides as currently planned. Removing roads would provide more green space.) 3. The Town Center should provide good linkages to the City's bike and pedestrian trail system and good trail access within the development itself. 4. There should be a tunnel underneath Dodd Road linking the trails in Town Center to the Valley Park trail system. 5. There should be a pedestrian art bridge over Highway 110 linking the Town Center to Mendota Plaza. 6. Grants should be sought from Federal, State, County, and/or Metropolitan sources to pay for amenities such as the tunnel and art bridge, such as "T- 21"/"ISTEA" money. 7. All four corners of the Dodd Road/Highway 110 intersection should have appropriate "landing pads", or pedestrian/bike waiting areas for people waiting for the light to change. 8. Keep the Gazebo shown in the plan with appropriate seating for concerts or other events. Ideally the gazebo should be moved from its current planned location near Highway 110 to the new center green area created by enacting recommendation #1 above. 9. All park signage, historical interpretive signage, etc. should be made of a material more durable than wood, such as stone. Commissioner Portz seconded the motion. The motion passed on a 7-0 vote with all Commissioners present. The Parks and Recreation Commission then asked Staff to present their recommendations in writing to both Ms. Krall and the City Council. Ms. Krall told the Parks Commission that she appreciated their input and that she would consider incorporating their suggestions into the final design. Ms. Krall advised the Commission, however, that the Town Center project is quite complex and that all of its components are interrelated. Ms. Krall said that any significant change to the Concept Plan could only occur after careful consideration of its impacts to the project as a whole, particularly in regards to the project' s overall economic feasibility. Ms. Krall said that she would like to meet again with the Parks and Recreation Commission at a later date to discuss these ideas in more detail. LEBANON HILLS REGIONAL PARK MASTER PLAN PUBLIC COMMENTS, METROPOLITAN COUNCIL DRAFT REGIONAL OPEN SPACE POLICY PLAN, AND DRAFT 2002-2007 METROPOLITAN REGIONAL PARKS CIP The Commission told Mr. Hollister that they would call him individually if they had any comments on these documents. DELAWARE AVENUE TRAIL Commissioner Craighead noted that he had seen a letter from the City of Sunfish Lake in a recent edition of the Friday News indicating that Sunfish Lake was interested in a trail along Delaware Avenue. Commissioner Craighead made a motion in support of a trail along Delaware Avenue and directing Staff to pursue this idea and report back to the Commission in May. Commissioner Morris seconded the motion. AYES: 7 NAYS: 0 Mr. Hollister said that he would talk to the Director of Public Works about this issue and report back to the Commission. PARKS CLEAN-UP Councilmember Schneeman said that she had asked Staff to organize a parks clean-up with resident volunteers and that they would be recognized at the annual "Celebrate Mendota Heights Parks" event. Mr. Hollister said that City Administrator Lindberg would be writing to current participates in the "Adopt-a-Park" program to inquire about their interest in this event. UPDATES Staff provided updates on the following items: • Police Report ADJOURN Motion made to adjourn by Portz and seconded by Libra. AYES: 7 NAYS: 0 ) The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.