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2006-10-10 Parks and Rec Comm MinutesApproved CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PARKS AND RECREATION MEETING The October 2006 meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, October 10, 2006, in the City Council Chambers 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 Dave Libra, Tom Kraus, Paul Portz and Larry Craighead. Commissioners absent were Raymond Morris and Missie Hickey. City Staff present were Guy Kullander, Operations Manager and 1 Projects Coordinator, Jake Sedlacek, Assistant to the City Administrator and Recording 1 Secretary Nancy Bauer. MINUTES: Commissioner Kraus wanted the minutes corrected from the September 14th meeting to reflect the correct spelling of his last name. Commissioner Craighead questioned the amount of money City Council provided for the 2007 parks celebration. Mr. Kullander replied that the City Council budgeted $1,000 for "seed" money for the parks celebration. There is also $8,000 in the budget for a part-time person to help coordinate planning a community type celebration, sponsored and organized by someone other then the City. Commissioner Spicer said that everyone in the City seemed to enjoy the expanded event, but the City Council has backed away from organizing an expanded event in 2007. Commissioner Craighead moved approval of the September 14, 2006, Parks and Recreation Commission minutes. Commissioner Libra seconded the motion. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 PARK BENCH DONATION Chair Spicer reported that Diane Mast wanted to donate a bench in honor of her 75th birthday and he had no problem with the wording on the plaque. Commissioner Libra asked if a motion was needed to approve the wording. Page - 1 October 10, 2006 Approved Mr. Kullander replied no, the Commission should review the wording and send a recommendation to the City Council to accept the donation and direct staff to install the bench. Commissioner Craighead asked where the bench would be located on Lilac Lane. Mr. Kullander responded that it would be located at street level on Lilac Lane at Marie Avenue, a location selected by Ms. Mast. Commissioner Libra moved the Parks Commission to make a recommendation to the City Council to accept the park bench donation and the wording of the plaque. Commissioner Portz seconded the motion. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 VICE-CHAIR Chair Spicer recalled that Commissioner Craighead was going to be Vice-Chair for 2006 and Commissioner Portz was going to be Vice-Chair for 2007. Commissioner Libra stated that was how he remembered it. Commissioner Portz stated that it was voted for that way. Mr. Kullander reminded Commissioner Portz that he had to submit a letter by December 29th, if he wished to be reappointed for a third term and Commissioner Libra's third and final term would expire on January 31, 2007. It was reaffirmed that Commissioner Craighead was Vice-Chair for 2006 and Commissioner Portz would be Vice Chair for 2007. VALLEY PARK TENNIS COURTS Chair Spicer commented that he doesn't want the tennis courts closed and complimented Mr. Kullander on the nice notice that was posted at the tennis courts announcing there would be an open house at the November 14th Parks and Recreation meeting. Mr. Kullander stated that there was also a notice in the Heights Highlites soon to be delivered to residents. Commissioner Kraus asked if any comments were received. Mr. Kullander responded that he has received one letter and one phone call. Both were strongly against closing the tennis courts. Page - 2 October 10, 2006 Approved Chair Spicer stated that residents need to comment on the closing of the tennis courts. Commissioner Craighead asked if comments could be emailed. Chair Spicer commented they could and gave Mr. Kullander's email address. FRIENDLY HILLS TOT LOT Chair Spicer said a letter was received asking for trees to be planted in the Friendly Hills Tot Lot, which is about one acre in size. Mr. Kullander responded that the developer put in the play equipment and donated the four lots in the early 1960's. Chair Spicer said the neighbors wanted the tot lot left alone. Mr. Kullander responded that the City Council did not want to sell the land, or spend money on improvements at the tot lot. Chair Spicer asked which other park was a tot lot. Mr. Kullander responded Valley View Heights. Money is being spent on Valley View Heights because there is no other park in that area. Chair Spicer said the Friendly Hills Tot Lot was designated as non-park land. Money from the Special Park Fund could not be spent on it. It should be moved on to Council to see if they would be willing to spend money planting trees there. MENDOTA HEIGHTS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Chair Spicer asked Mr. Sedlacek if he attended the meeting with the Mendota Heights Athletic Association. Mr. Sedlacek responded that he had and that was his first official parks function. Chair Spicer noted that there were three people from Mendota Heights Athletic Association at the meeting they are; Mr. Johns, Mr. Vierling, and Mr. Applebaum. Chair Spicer summarized the meeting with Mendota Heights Athletic Association that covered issues of field maintenance, back stops, dugouts, netting and batting cages. There was also discussion of Sibley field use. Mr. Libra asked if Mendota Heights Athletic Association could get feedback on hockey rink use. Mr. Kullander said Teresa confirmed that there has been no regularly scheduled use of the hockey rinks for several years. Page - 3 October 10, 2006 Approved Mr. Libra said Mendota Heights Athletic Association should keep track of groups that might want to use the hockey rinks. Mr. Johns said that Pat Senko was working with Terry of Public Works to try and improve the quality of ice at the rinks. Mr. Libra said a group would like the Wentworth warming house replaced because it is too small. Mr. Johns said the ice quality is down so usage goes down. Commissioner Libra said there are periodically head counts on the rinks. There have been discussions about shutting down one rink. It would be helpful to know if there are other groups that would use the rinks. Mr. Kullander gave a summary of the softball backstop replacement proposal in Marie, Wentworth and Valley Parks. This project was included in the Capital Improvement Plan to be completed this year. $21,000 was budgeted for this work. Commissioner Craighead said he didn't see it in the 2006 Capital Improvement Plan. Mr. Kullander responded it was item #4 in 2006 and was shown on the 5 year plan summary — item #13 on tonight's agenda. Mr. Craighead asked why Special Park Funds were being spent. Mr. Kullander responded that the backstops are over 30 years old, have become an eyesore, are worn out, distorted and should be replaced. Mr. Craighead asked why it wasn't coming out of the maintenance fund. Mr. Kullander responded that this is a replacement and not a repair. Mr. Kullander suggested that while the fencing crew is in town he could add three additional work items to meet requests made by the Mendota Heights Athletic Association. Chair Spicer said that Mendota Heights Athletic Association would like netting over the backstop at the Civic Center ball field. Mr. Kullander responded that the backstop is currently 20 feet tall and foul balls are going over it. One option would be to put netting over the top completely. An estimate to do this would be about $3,000. Another issue is the batting cages at Mendakota Park and the fencing crew could install additional top rails to keep the netting from sagging. Chair Spicer asked if one of the nets will still be replaced in the spring at the batting cage. Page - 4 October 10, 2006 Approved Mr. Kullander responded yes. These are three work items we could do this year and would cost about $4,000 - $5,000. Chair Spicer asked if we have received park dedication fees from Opus. Mr. Kullander replied that we had received almost $17,000 as of October 1. As more lots are platted the City gets additional dedication fees, possibly two or three times this amount by the end of the year. Commissioner Craighead asked if we got a list of priorities from Mendota Heights Athletic Association. Mr. Kullander responded that yes we got a list. Commissioner Craighead asked if the back stop was the number one priority. He also said a cover wasn't put over the backstop several years ago because the catcher could not catch a foul ball. Why do we want to cover it now? Mr. Kullander responded that Mendota Heights Athletic Association was willing to accept this trade-off. Mr. Craighead said that not having a cover was a safety issue — foul balls go into the street. Chair Spicer said he would vote for this just for the safety reasons. Mr. Craighead wants people to know that the reason the backstop is getting covered is for safety reasons, so that if the issue is revisited in a couple of years they'll know why it was covered. Chair Spicer said this is not Mendota Heights Athletic Association's total wish list but what the Commission could respond to in the short term and he would recommend these three improvements this year. Commissioner Kraus passed a motion to spend up to $10,000 to attach netting to steel cables at the top of the existing fencing on the Civic Center backstop, install additional top supports at two batting cages at Mendakota Park, and replace the netting on one-half of the batting cage at Mendakota Park. Commissioner Portz seconded the motion. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 Chair Spicer said the money would come out of the Special Park Fund and needs to be approved by the City Council. Page - 5 October 10, 2006 Approved Mr. Kullander responded that he did look at the Fort Snelling dugouts and thought they were too cage like in appearance. Mr. Kullander was going to look at what could be done with galvanized posts to give support for a steel roof at the player's benches at the Civic Center field. Chair Spicer asked about canvas tops. Mr. Kullander said canvas tops have vandalism issues and still need the framework. He would talk to the fencing contractor and see what experience they have with bracketing a metal roof to the fence, or adding galvanized posts. Commissioner Craighead asked Mendota Heights Athletic Association if modifying the player's benches would be an improvement and what they envisioned. Mr. Johns said the issue came up this year with 95° temperatures and it was debated whether they should play or not, portable tops were put up and that helped. Mr. Applebaum said Mendota Heights Athletic Association hosts three or four tournaments a year and they bring their own tarps and they are blowing. Commissioner Craighead asked if they wanted enclosed dugouts or just a roof. Mr. Johns said they just want them covered. Mr. Applebaum said they want what is at Fort Snelling and Mr. Kullander's drawing is for the dugouts at Mendakota Park which require a different design because of limited open space in the HUD area. Chair Spicer asked Mr. Kullander if the estimate he had was for the drawing of proposed dugouts at Mendakota Park. Mr. Kullander responded that the rough cost would be $6,000 - $8,000 per unit at Mendakota Park. If this project would be done it would bump a major project off the Capital Improvement Plan. He would get a bid from a fabricator and come back to the Parks Commission with an estimate. Chair Spicer asked if this would be done in March or April of 2007. Mr. Kullander responded it could be done in 2007 or 2008, depending on how the Capital Improvement Plan was changed. Commissioner Portz said he liked the idea because it was open and you could still see the players and play. Chair Spicer said he also liked the idea as it gives you coverage and is non - intrusive. Mr. Kullander said the Civic Center field would be done next spring and not this year. Page - 6 October 10, 2006 Approved Mr. Craighead asked if Mendota Heights Athletic Association would provide 50% of the funding. Mr. Johns responded that Mendota Heights Athletic Association has no money because thier pull-tab money has decreased. Commissioner Portz said trails, playgrounds and Mendota Heights Athletic Association all needing funding. Chair Spicer said I wouldn't ask for them for contributions because they have no fimding. Commissioner Libra asked why the hockey funding wasn't on the Mendota Heights Athletic Association spreadsheet provided in tonight's packet. Mr. Johns replied it was a timing thing. It is year-to-date as of now and hockey isn't on there. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN It was suggested that the Capital Improvement Plan be revisited again in November. Mr. Kullander responded that he did a 10 year projection of possible park dedication fees that could be anticipated to come in and thinks the total amount spent from the fund should not exceed $100,000 per year — unless a new funding source becomes available. VALLEY PARK AND VALLEY VIEW HEIGHTS PARK Mr. Kullander reported that work will be done in Valley Park and Valley View Heights Park in the next week to 10 days. A little fine tuning is being done to Valley View Heights, because the salvaged equipment from Marie Park may not be desirable to use there. He is having a meeting on Wednesday regarding this, but the price should stay within the budget authorized by City Council. The equipment has been ordered for Valley Park and the demo work should start soon. Ivy Park is going to be more expensive. It will be done first thing in 2007. The plans are being developed, should come to the Commission in December or January with the design and should go to Council in February and ordered for a spring installation date. UPDATES Chair Spicer commented the City lifted the moratorium on subdividing new lots and asked how many lots this impacted. Mr. Kullander said the City identified about 60 parcels of land. Chair Spicer asked about Par 3. Page - 7 October 10, 2006 Approved Mr. Kullander responded that it has been sent to the Planning Commission to define the land use description for the property. The developer could sell to the City at the appraised value if the referendum was successful. If this doesn't happen they could keep it as a golf course or develop it in 19 large lots. Chair Spicer said Acacia Cemetery has a private group looking to preserve the 15 acre parcel. Mr. Kullander responded that if this happens the land would be controlled by the City similar to the Pilot Knob site. NOTICE FROM DAKOTA COUNTY PARKS DIRECTOR Chair Spicer said that an invitation came from the Dakota County Parks Director inviting the Park Commission to a workshop on October 18th• Mr. Kullander responded that someone from staff would attend the workshop. NEW OR OLD BUSINESS Commissioner Libra wanted staff to be aware of opportunities to get funding from Dakota County for construction of missing trail segments along county roads such as Lexington Avenue, Wagon Wheel Trail and Highway 13 west of the Opus project. The meeting adjourned at 7:56 P.M. Page - 8 October 10, 2006