Loading...
2019-03-12 Parks and Rec Comm MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS, DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PARKS AND RECREATION MEETING March 12, 2019 The March meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at Mendota Heights City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve. 1. Call to Order – Chair Steve Goldade called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. 2. Roll Call – The following Commissioners were present: Chair Steve Goldade, Vice-chair Bob Klepperich, Commissioners Ira Kipp, Stephanie Meyer, David Miller, and Dan Sherer. Commissioner Pat Hinderscheid was absent. Staff present: Recreation Program Coordinator Meredith Lawrence, Assistant City Administrator Cheryl Jacobson and Public Works Director Ryan Ruzek. 3. Approval of Agenda Chair Goldade pointed out new items added to the agenda, as well as its reordering of topics. Motion Klepperich / second Meyer to approve the agenda as presented AYES 6: NAYS 0: ABSENT 1 4. Approval of Minutes from February 12, 2019 Motion Klepperich / second Meyer to approve the minutes of the February 12, 2019 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. AYES 6: NAYS 0: ABSENT 1 5. Citizen Comment Period (for items not on the agenda) *There were no citizen comments. 6. Acknowledgement of Reports 6.a Par 3 Update 6.b Recreation Update Motion Klepperich / second Miller to accept the Par 3 Update and the Recreation Update as provided in the packet. AYES 6: NAYS 0: ABSENT 1 7. Unfinished Business 7.a Park & Trail Benches Public Works Director Ryan Ruzek shared a map showing park benches throughout the city, including bus stops (9), donated benches (9), park benches (43), and picnic tables (55). Commissioner Kipp asked if there was some way to systematize this to show the distance between the benches to determine how far people on the trails or the paths need to walk to get to the next bench. Mr. Ruzek replied that the map provided was to scale; 1 inch = 1/2 mile. Commissioner Sherer asked, if there was an y interest in adding some benches and if there was a documented bus route for some of the ISD 197 stops as it could be advantageous to co -locate a bench at some of those bus stops. Chair Goldade noted that bus stops could change depending on where students are located; however, he would h ave to double check. Commissioner Kipp stated that it seemed to him that there is a lack of priority on where benches should be put. Chair Goldade asked when was the last time that the city purchased benches and is there a standard program where the city is purchasing replacement benches. Mr. Ruzek replied that city benches appear to be only in city parks; it does not appear that the city provides benches along the trail systems. The ones on the trails were installed as part of the park bench donation program, MTC, or third-party bus stops. Chair Goldade stated that his interest in this was around the idea of increasing the number of bench donations and having a wish list of preferred locations; although most residents who donate a bench have an idea of wh ere they would like that bench located. He then asked who a resident would contact if they were interested in donating a bench. Mr. Ruzek replied that the resident could contact him, the Recreation Program Coordinator, or any staff member. There is a topic later on in the agenda to discuss promoting the bench donation program. 7.b Wentworth Park Playground Improvements – Subcommittee Recommendation Chair Goldade expressed his appreciation to the subcommittee, who worked on bringing this topic before the Commission. Public Works Director Ryan Ruzek explained that the subcommittee had a final meeting on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 and made final recommendations for the playground replacement at Wentworth Park. They reviewed the plans submitted by the vendors ; the vendors were not in attendance at that meeting. The recommendation from the committee was to proceed with the layout provided by Flagship Recreation, who specializes in Landscape Structure Equipment. They proposed a climbing net structure, glass fiber reinforced concrete climbing wall, 4 -person teeter totter unit, ground- mounted spring rider, free -spinning unit, replacement of the swing sets to include a companion swing, rehabilitation of the existing diggers, and utilizing the existing 2 to 5-year old equipment. Total cost is estimated to be $148,936.49, the budgeted amount was $140,000. Staff is looking to do some modifications to the site work, which would save approximately $4,339.70. Flagship Recreation has included in the cost performance and payment bonds, which the city may waive the requirement, thereby saving an additional $4,393.83. These two cost savings would bring the total cost down right to the estimated budget amount. Vice-chair Klepperich commended the work done by the subcommittee. He stated that it was really nice to see a final product that the residents of Mendota Heights could be proud of. Commissioner Kipp asked for clarification as it appeared that the border is made of concrete. Mr. Ruzek replied that the border was not changed as part of this plan. The existing bo rder is a synthetic rubber product that looks like railroad ties and is in good shape. The digger material will remain sand. Commissioner Kipp expressed his concern about the hard border if part of the plan was to provide softer surfaces to prevent harm to the children. Mr. Ruzek replied that all of the equipment is required to have a certain clear zone around them. No concrete barrier would be allowed in that clear zone area. Motion Sherer / second Meyer to recommend that City Council consider the playgr ound improvements as proposed by Flagship Recreation for Wentworth Park Playground AYES 6: NAYS 0: ABSENT 1 7.c Hagstrom King Park Playground Improvements – Subcommittee Recommendation Public Works Director Ryan Ruzek explained that the subcommittee had a final meeting on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 and made final recommendations for the playground replacement at Hagstrom King Park. They reviewed the plans submitted by the vendors; the vendors were not in attendance at that meeting. Mr. Ruzek continued by explaining that both MN-WI Playground and Flagship Recreation had very competitive designs and this was a very challenging decision for the subcommittee. The subcommittee did recommend the layout provided by MN -WI Playground; who specialize in the Game Time Equipment. The budget provided was $160,000 and the estimated cost is $160,000. They were provided a larger budget due to the addition of new equipment (dual Zipline structure) and additional site work required (replacement of the container system and surfacing material). The proposed equipment includes a two -way Zipline, spinning structure, arc-type structure with a tire-type swing, replacement of the swing sets with a companion swing, and salvaging and re- installment of the 2 to 5-year old equipment. The city is looking at moving the entire container system approximately 10-15 feet to the west to utilize two existing trees for shade. They also may look at adding a tree within the structure as long as they can stay outside of the clear zone areas. Commissioner Sherer stated that, as he remembered, each vendor was to provide a parallel or pull-up bar at each park, and a pull-bar was provided at Wentworth but the parallel bar considered for Hagstrom King is not shown. He asked if it was still in the con sideration. Mr. Ruzek replied that he did not believe that this vendor provided that on either of their renderings. Staff could work with MN-WI Playground to add a parallel bar in the location where staff was looking to install a tree. In regards to the concrete structure surrounding the playground, Mr. Ruzek noted that it was best for maintenance. The playground equipment would be placed far enough away from the border to be contained within the safety zone. Commissioner Kipp expressed his unhappiness with the concrete border and asked if there are any other options that would be softer and still aid in maintenance. Mr. Ruzek asked for suggestions and when asked, noted that concrete is a pretty standard material used in other parks. Motion Miller / second Klepperich to recommend that City Council consider the playground improvements as proposed by MN-WI Playground for Hagstrom King Park Playground AYES 6: NAYS 0: ABSENT 1 8. New Business 8.a Programming Ideas for Wentworth Chair Goldade reminded the Commission that at the last meeting, they asked Recreation Program Coordinator Meredith Lawrence to provide some possibilities of recreational programs that could be held in the newly proposed Wentworth Park Warming House. Ms. Lawrence noted that Wentwort h Park is not one where recreational programs are currently being held. She met with the city’s Natural Resource Technician last week and they came up with some possible plans that they have been looking at for the future in programming. This list was provided in the Commission packet. Chair Goldade asked if she was looking for program ideas only or would they be talking more about the warming house itself now. Ms. Lawrence replied she brought the ideas for programming only; it may take time to digest them and think about the size. However, in the conversation if the Commission had recommendations for the warming house Mr. Ruzek could take them as he is in charge of the warming house project. Commissioner Meyer expressed her appreciation for the wonderful list of ideas provided; and then added the following:  Mushrooms and foraging classes  Building birdhouses or bat houses  Beekeeping Commissioner Sherer reiterated the expressions of appreciation not only for the list provided but also for the hard work done and being done on the warming house. He asked, based on the construction schedule, if it would be most likely that these programs would not be scheduled until 2020. Ms. Lawrence replied that this would be correct. The summer programs for 2019 have already been planned out. The playground program will take place this summer at Mendakota Park. Commissioner Kipp noted that in the past they had been able to share some of the tennis courts with the school district. He then asked if it wouldn’t be more advantag eous financially to share some of their school space rather than building a new structure. Ms. Lawrence replied that the city does have a partnership with all of the schools in the district and they do utilize space from them at this time (tennis courts and gym space); however, it is nice for the city to have their own facilities for events and to have access when wanted. This warming house would be more than just an event or class space. The Commission and the Council i s looking at utilizing it as a warming house. Commissioner Kipp asked if the Par 3 Golf Course building was used. Ms. Lawrence replied that the city tries to keep the Par 3 building only for golf during the season. The events being considered for the warming house would be in the summer, dur ing golf season. Chair Goldade asked Student Representative Matthew Boland to do a little bit of brainstorming on what 12 to 17-year olds might like to see. He then asked Ms. Lawrence if there would be the possibility of renting the facility during the ice season for possible hockey events. Ms. Lawrence replied that this would depend on the size. Student Commissioner Boland replied that Ping Pong or Ice Hockey or other indoor games could be a good way to get the age group mentioned into the area and to meet others they might not otherwise get a chance to meet. Chair Goldade added that if they started seeing the new warming house as a 12 -month structure, he would start thinking about lighting inside. In regards to the warming house in general, Commissioner Meyer asked for the timeline and costs as it appears they are working on a larger footprint and size of this potential building. He tried to get the cost estimate for the last meeting. Council has reviewed the footprint and is very comfortable with it. They are not looking for a larger structure. Also, Council has made it clear that $150,000 is the cap for this building. 8.b Promotion of the Park Bench Program Recreation Program Coordinator Meredith Lawrence reminded the Commission that they had asked for information on how the city could better promote the Park Bench Program. She provided ideas in the Commission Packet. Commissioner Klepperich suggested that this be kept simple and that nothing more than what was on the list provided needed to be don e at this time. Commissioner Miller stated that it seemed to him that the donations tend to be memorials for people who have passed away. He then wondered if it would be possible to notify churches, synagogues, etc. in the area of this program so they cou ld include it in their bulletins or pass the information along when a funeral is coming up. Commissioner Kipp suggested promotional literature for corporations and businesses in the community. Chair Goldade stated that if he had to pick three from the li st, he would pick the Park Celebration flyers; quarterly Friday News; and on the Commission’s agenda twice a year. 8.c Research on Nordic Skiing Recreation Program Coordinator Meredith Lawrence again reminded the Commission of their request of staff to research Nordic skiing and the costs associated with it. After their research, staff determined that the cost to groom a Nordic skiing area would be approximately $18,000. The city does not own the necessary equipment to groom the skiing area. She noted two other things to be considered:  Staffing costs and availability o Assumed that city staff would groom the skiing area; they also plow the streets and take care of the rinks  Use of the Par 3 in the Winter o The Clubhouse currently is not staff during the Winter. Residents are currently permitted to snowshoe or Nordic skiing on the course, it is just not groomed specifically for those uses. The Par 3 Clubhouse is not opened during this time. Commissioner Kipp commented that for many years Rogers Lake was used as a cross country skiing area by St. Thomas Academy. Ms. Lawrence noted replied St. Thomas is still utilizing Rogers Lake as a practice location; as well as their school grounds. Chair Goldade asked if the new public works position would only be for winter or would it be a 12-month position. Ms. Lawrence replied that it is a full -time position, year round. It was noted that streets are a priority in the winter. Commissioner Kipp asked what the advantages would be of using the Par 3 rather than Rog ers Lake and St. Thomas grounds. Ms. Lawrence replied that St. Thomas’ grounds are private property so the city could not promote them, unless they partnered with St. Thomas somehow. Rogers Lake is something that could be considered. The use of the Par 3 i s what the Commission had asked her to look into. Commissioner Kipp asked if there would be any problems with the turf if they used the Par 3. Ms. Lawrence answered that she believed both Somerset and Mendakota allow Nordic skiing on their facilities during the winter. They do not groom the grounds and they do not publicize it. Somerset stated that they do not see any issues with the turf; it depends on the amount of snow. It was suggested that the greens be fenced off to prevent damage to them. Chair Goldade summarized their two options:  Consider dropping and be done with the discussion  Continue discussion o Look at possible partnership with St. Thomas Academy, e specially on the use of the lake o Use of the cross country ski trail on Rogers Lake o The use of the Par 3 Clubhouse o Staffing and costs Motion Klepperich / second Sherer to shelf the idea of Nordic Skiing for the time being with the understanding that it could be brought up again at a future date AYES 6: NAYS 0: ABSENT 1 8.d Par 3 Marketing Ideas Recreation Program Coordinator Meredith Lawrence reminded the Commission that they had asked for ideas on promoting the Par 3. She provided a list of ideas in the Commission Packet. Commissioner Klepperich noted that in the past he worked for a municipali ty where they did a family night on Sunday night. He believed it was one base price for an adult and then the kids could golf for free. Commissioner Sherer stated that he was thinking of something along the same lines as Commissioner Klepperich. It would be an attractive way to get families to the course. Commissioner Kipp noted that there are hundreds of cars that go up and down Highway 62 every day; many of those people do not know about the wonderful Par 3 Golf Course. He asked if it would be possible to get some kind of temporary signage or billboard on Highway 62 to promote the course. Ms. Lawrence replied that she could look into that; however, staff has set their marketing budget much smaller than in years past. They are trying to use more free marketing that would still attract people. Commissioner Miller stated that a few years ago, a student had volunteered from the business school at the University of Minnesota – a marketing student – and for reasons that he did not know the city did not accept that student’s help. He suggested that if the business school had students looking for marketing projects, and are willing to volunteer to do this for free, it may be an additional venue. He also noted that there is a program called “The First Tee” and Highland Golf Course has a program set up to attract urban youth. It may be valuable to hook up with The First Tee for very young kids to learn. Commissioner Sherer also suggested marketing the fact that this is a Par 3 course – only nine holes – that could be completed in 70 to 90 minutes, with refreshments available at the end. Commissioner Kipp suggested promoting this at the Cliff Timm Fishing Derby. Commissioner Meyer suggested having some kind of contest -type thing; it would be a good one-time event – involving city leaders. 8.e Community Engagement Ideas Recreation Program Coordinator Meredith Lawrence explained that community engagement has been an item that has been discussed by the Commission over the last few months; a survey has been something that has been discussed. Currently, the City Council has met to consider goals for their Goal Setting Workshop and a survey was not something that was budgeted for this year but could be something the Commission could suggest for the 2020 budget. Upon research, staff believes a scientific study would cost between $20,000 and $30,000 to conduct. Staff contacted local colleges to see if a research class that would be interested in taking this project on. They have not heard back from these local colleges yet. If the Commission is interested in doing a non -scientific study that could be an option at this time; something similar to Survey Monkey. However, these types of studies are hard to monitor and it would be impossible to determine if someone from anoth er city was taking the survey or to determine if someone took the survey more than once in hopes of getting something they want. Last year, the Commission went to the Park Celebration and spoke to residents about what they wanted to see in the parks and received some good ideas. The Commission also met with the City Council in May of 2018 and prioritized a list of those items; which provided the Commission with a roadmap of where they wanted to start for park improvements. Chair Goldade asked about Polco. Ms. Lawrence deferred to Assistant City Administrator Cheryl Jacobson, who replied that they spoke a little bit at the last meeting about Polco; a community engagement tool that the city is now participating in and working on implementing. It is a question tool, a way to put a link on the city’s website with maybe one question or two questions – very brief, and people can respond to it. It’s an Opt -In feedback tool that residents or anyone else who signs up for that tool could respond to. Commissioner Sherer asked if the Polco link could be integrated with the Friday News distribution or are the limitations on that. Ms. Jacobson replied that they could tell people about it through the Friday News, but they have to Opt -In; the user would have to go to the link and set up their account. As questions are released they would get an email notification. Commissioner Meyer suggested contacting the Neighborhood Watch organizations in the area and maybe attending one of their meetings to obtain feedback from the r esidents. 9. Staff Announcements Recreation Program Coordinator Meredith Lawrence made the following announcement:  Warming Houses are closed for the season  Registration for summer programs is available; the new registration system is working well  Still hoping to fill a few more positions for the summer; they are posted on the city’s website 10. Student Representative Update Student Representative Matthew Boland stated that last week several of his classmates presented a study on Rogers Lake’s water quality to the City Council. They have found that the water quality of Rogers Lake gets better each year; this was record year for a lot of different kinds of tests. He suggested, for a summer program, a Footgolf or Frisbee golf tournament. 11. Commission Comments and Park Updates Commissioner Kipp  Rogers Lake is buried in 20 feet of snow  He encouraged everyone to be very careful because of the rain on top of the ice Commissioner Sherer  Hagstrom King is in a similar situation as Rogers Lake; the basketball backboard is not in good condition and due for replacement; he suggested obtaining one from Friendly Hills Middle School which is undergoing renovations to the outdoor court  Friendly Hills - not much to report; pretty good sled tracks  Hockey rink lights are still coming on due to the timers. Recreation Program Coordinator Meredith Lawrence announced they were officially turned off this AM Vice-Chair Klepperich  Had the opportunity to hear the presentation from St. Thomas Academy; it was truly fantastic; he was impressed with the presentation and the information  No baseball this week at the Civic Center Baseball Field  He drove by Mendakota and noted that, after the snow had been plowed off of the streets, the walking path has been plowed Commissioner Meyer  Marie Park and Kensington Park are looking good; very snowy  She asked if the parking lot at Kensington Park was plowed. Mr. Ruzek replied that he was unaware of the city plowing any of the park parking lots. Marie Park is plowed because of the rink. Commissioner Miller  No comments to add about Victoria Highland Park  As a perspective, he noted that the majority of the time that he has been on the Park Commission, they probably had less money in the Park Reserve Fund than they recommended to spend on two parks this evening. With the money coming in from the tax increment of new buildings, etc. it was extremely pleasing to see that they actually have money to spend, that there is a committee that worked very hard on it, they received very good information from the city staff, and they actually have a way to do updates that are very first class, very well thought out, and it is extremely pleasing as a Park Board Member to see that they can actually do some things now that are very worthwhile. Chair Goldade  Items to be covered at the April meeting: o Wentworth Warming House Discussion o Start planning for the June 1, 2019 Parks Celebration; specifically a schedule for commissioners to volunteer at their table; review objectives to be met there o Starting in July they will be doing park visits for the meetings; discussions on where to start o Community Engagement; discussions around Polco, CivicRec, and possibly attending Neighborhood Watch meetings o Suggestions for topics should be emailed to Chair Goldade and Ms. L awrence  He noted the wonderful Spring/Summer Programs Update included in the packet and expressed his appreciation to Ms. Lawrence and her team  Tree Program is coming up, updates and information available in the Friday News and on the city’s website 12. Adjourn Motion Klepperich / Second Kipp to adjourn the meeting at 8:04 PM AYES 6: NAYS 0: ABSENT 1 Minutes Taken By: C. Darlene Oehlke Independent Contractor