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2007-10-09 Parks and Rec Comm MinutesApproved CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PARKS AND RECREATION MEETING October 9, 2007 The October 2007 meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, October 9, 2007, 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, Commissioners Tom Kraus, Paul Portz, Raymond Morris and Missy Hicky. Absent were Commissioners Brian Hallman and Larry Craighead. City Staff present were; Teresa Gangelhoff, Recreation Programmer, Guy Kullander, Operations and Projects Coordinator, Jake Sedlacek, Assistant to the City Administrator, and Nancy Bauer, Recording Secretary, MINUTES: A motion to approve the September 11, 2007, minutes with corrections was made by Commissioner Morris and seconded by Commissioner Kraus, AYES 5 NAYS PILOT KNOB PHASE 2 —DRAFT MANAGEMENT PLAN Mr. Kullander reported that the funding package has been put together for the purchase of the Pilot Knob Phase 2 site. DNR Grants from three different agencies equals $881,047, a Dakota County Farmland grant is $400,000, $400,000 from the City, and $250,000 from the Trust For Public Lands. The Trust For Public Lands (TPL) will purchase the land and turn around and sell it to the City. An anticipated date of sale is December 17, 2007. The agreement that TPL has with the cemetery is they are to remove the houses and environmental clean up the land. That way the City will have a "clean" site. Commissioner Kraus asked if this was to be done prior to the transfer of the land. Mr. Kullander responded that it would be done before the transfer of the land. Commissioner Morris said that is typical when park land is being transferred. Mr. Kullander said there are issues about getting the two families out of the houses and having the houses demolished. Demolition has not begun at this time. Commissioner Morris asked if they were rental houses. Page - 1 10/9/07 Approved Mr. Kullander responded that they were not but they are owned by the cemetery and maintenance people live in the houses. Great River Greening, who did the Phase 1 Plan, is the consultant for the Phase 2 Plan. Phase 1 is 8.5 acres bought by the City in 2005. Phase II is 15 acres being bought from Acacia Cemetery. Part of Pilot Knob Road will be vacated. The two parcels will be combined into one parcel. Phase II will be restored to oak savannah, same as the Phase I site. There will be some gravel trails (four to six feet wide), small overlooks, interpretative signing and a small parking lot. Parking will be available on Acacia Boulevard. Great River Greening has been successful in getting several matching grants for the restoration portion of the project. Commissioner Portz asked if we know the total cost of Phase 1 with acquisition costs. Mr. Kullander responded that acquisition costs were $2.3 million for the first site. The acquisition costs for the second site is $1,930,000. Restoration costs for the first site includes two years of work at about $40,000 - $50,000, Mr. Todd Rexine is a landscape ecologist with Great River Greening and is working on the restoration and design plan for Phase 2 of the Pilot Knob site. He is working on looking at where to have gathering places on the site. The Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community has used a portion of the site with approval from Acacia Cemetery site for ceremonial purposes and would like to continue to use the site in the future. Commissioner Kraus asked if the people walking on the trails would be discouraged from walking off the trails through signage or other ways. Mr. Rexine said the trails would be the primary way to get through the site, but bird watchers may want to go off the trail and are encouraged to do so. Commissioner Kraus asked if the snake hibernacula being planned would be accessible by trail. Mr. Rexine said it was being looked at curving the trail close to the snake hibernacula, but not too close. Mr. Kullander said it was a unique opportimity to take advantage of and it would be off trail with interpretive signageI Commissioner Kraus says it is a great idea. Commissioner Morris said it needs to be interpreted so that it explains the habitat to people visiting the site. Commissioner Kraus and Commissioner Morris said it was a great plan. Mr. Larry Granger of the Pilot Knob Preservation Association and Director of the Minnesota River Center in Henderson, Minnesota reported that the plan that is emerging reflects a number of concerns. The plan reflects that this land was a sacred site for the Mendota Mdewankanton Page - 2 l0/9/07 Approved Dakota community. It was used for ceremonial purposes and a burial ground and efforts must be made to limit disruption of possible undisturbed areas that may still exist. There will be gathering places and public access with minimal impact to the land. RECREATION REPORT Commissioner Spicer complimented Teresa on the recreational activities and reported that Teresa has some activities planned for the MEA break in October. A Mall of America trip, horseback riding, bowling and a movie is planned. A new holiday program planned is Spook- Tacular Rock Star Party at Central Square in South St. Paul. For Christmas there is a new program Jingle Bells with Mrs. Claus. There is also skateboard camp, gymnastics, cheerleading, and skating lessons. Rink attendant applications are being taken for the upcoming skating season. CASH DONATION FOR PARK IMPROVEMENTS Chair Spicer reported that Mr. Thomas Gainor, on behalf of Somerset 2 Condominium Alumni Reunion, donated $31.00 for City park improvements. Commissioner Morris made a motion to accept the donation and make a recommendation to the City Council to accept the donation to be deposited in the Special Park Fund. Commissioner Hicky seconded the motion. Chair Spicer asked if a thank you letter would be sent. Mr. Kullander responded that he would send a letter. AYES 5 NAYSO SPECIAL PARK FUND STATUS Chair Spicer commented that he was shocked at the low balance of the Special Park Fund and asked how the 2008 capital improvement projects were going to be funded. Mr. Kullander suggested the Commission's recommendation to City Council for these projects would include a suggested funding source such as the Special Park Fund, Cell Tower Fund or other funds. The City Council then would decide a suitable funding split, a single funding source or postpone the improvement for another year. The approach in the 5 Year Plan was to identify the projects that the Commission felt should be made throughout the City. Some of the 2008 Capital Improvements identified by the Parks Commission are Hagstrom-King Park which was on Mendota Heights Athletic Association list, Friendly Marsh Park, and Rogers' Lake Park playground equipment replacement. The playgrounds have been on the list for the last 10 years with one park a year being updated. This is a safety issue at Rogers Lake Park, the equipment is 19 years old and is showing its wear. It's still functional and nobody would get hurt on the Page - 3 10/9/07 Approved equipment, but the border timbers are in poor shape and the resilient surfacing no longer meets consumer product safety guidelines. Chair Spicer said the Commission has been doing a park year and shouldn't skip Rogers Lake Park next year. It is in the budget and 2007 prices should be used. There is no reason not to go forward with the project. Commissioner Morns was pleased that the 5 Year Capital Improvement Plan update included funding sources designated for past projects for City Council reference. Mr. Kullander responded that Council has the opflon to take some funding for this work out of the Parks Maintenance Budget. In the 2008 budget there is a $6,000 line item for playground repairs. Commissioner Portz asked about the Ivy Hill tennis courts in the 2008 Capital Improvement Plan. There was discussion about these tennis courts - they weren't being used, they were going to be closed, then resurfaced and then sport tiles put on the courts. How did we go from being closed to putting sports tiles on them? Mr. Kullander responded that he just put a tennis court name in the 2008 Capital Improvement Plan. There was talk about doing one tennis court in a park a year. We would take a look at the tennis court and see which one of the remaining four was in the worst condition and do that one in 2008. The Council told us to close Ivy Hill tennis courts and the Commission held public hearings on the closing. The Commission got petitions and 50-60 homeowners attending the hearing demanding that the courts get repaired. The City Council found funding outside the Special Park Fund for the repairs for the tennis courts five or six years ago. The tennis courts are always going to have surface cracks. Chair Spicer said he didn't remember discussing putting sport court tiles on the Ivy Hills tennis courts. Mr. Kullander responded that if it was successful in Valley Park it would be considered for the other tennis courts. Commissioner Kraus responded he remembered talking about doing one tennis court a year with sport court tiles. Mr. Kullander responded that the City Council did not want to redo a tennis court with sport court tiles in 2008. If good bids are received there is enough money in the maintenance fund for a typical resurfacing of one of the tennis courts and crack and surface repair on the other three tennis courts. Commissioner Kraus said it would be a good idea to see what is the public response to the sports court tiles since they weren't in for much of the playing season this year. Page - 4 to/9/o7 Approved Chair Spicer said it would also be helpful to see how they sport court tiles come through the winter. Sibley High School is almost done with their tennis courts. Mr. Kullander responded that there are nine new courts and three resurfaced tennis courts at Sibley High School for citizens to use. The only problem is parking at the school. Students have permits for parking when school is in session and residents wishing to use the courts have no place to park when school is in session. Commissioner Kraus commented that the Special Park Fund revenue source is going away and expenditures will be here forever. What can the Commission do about this? The Commission has asked the City Council for another revenue sources and there isn't any action on it and this is an issue that won't go away. Mr. Kullander said it is a difficult thing. The Council has said on occasion not to request supplement funding because there are funds in the Special Park Fund, when it is gone come and talk to us. Only Special Park Funds are used for Capital Improvements, one option the Council may consider is to put Capital Improvements into the Parks Budget and tax for it like they do for streets and other improvements. Commissioner Kraus asked if the strategy should be to spend it all and then take up the issue with the City Council and ask the Council where the revenue is coming from or should we take up the issue now? Mr. Kullander responded the Commission should be confident that the projects they are recommending are necessary and should be done because they are needed improvements in the parks and what the residents want. The Council responds to the residents and if the residents want something done or improved given enough interest on the part of the taxpayers the Council will find a way to fund it. Commissioner Morris said the improvements that have been funded in the past have not been frivolous and based on real need. We have been getting the message in the as year and a half that there is no real incentive for the City Council to find a different funding mechanism for the Parks Commission. We are not going be penalized if the money is spent down. Sooner or later the money will be spent down. Mr. Kullander said the residents went to the ballot box and approved the purchase of the Par 3 and keep it as public golf course. The City Council is also putting money into preserving the Pilot Knob site. Commissioner Morris commented that there is interest in the parks. Mr. Kullander responded that the Council has the same objectives and visions as the Parks Commission regarding quality of facilities and when it comes to an important decision point they will take a hard look at the funds and see what the citizens want to improve the City. Page - 5 10/9/07 Approved Commissioner Kraus said the response is that the Parks and Recreation Commission needs to do nothing. Chair Spicer said that in January he will have been on the Park Commission for 20 years and the Chairman of the Parks Commission 20 years ago was Mayor John Huber. Mayor Huber's philosophy was if you want to control your own destiny keep money in the Special Park Fund because the City won't say no to you because there is funding. Certain members on the Council want the Parks Commission to spend the money down so they can control the spending. There were a variety of disagreements with the Council and the Parks Commission, closing Valley Park tennis courts being a perfect example, until the public was brought in and we got the Council to change their minds. The question becomes do you want to go to the Council begging for fences at a park. Commissioner Kraus said we still do, they ultimately have to approve the projects. They aren't approving our $50,000 sport court tiles next year. They want us to wait on that. Chair Spicer responded that's what is going to happen on many projects. Commissioner Kraus asked what do we do because we're on a collision course for running out of money. Chair Spicer responded that the Parks Commission has repeatedly requested at the workshop in August, asking for a funding source and the Council said no. • r�5'Tf�CiC3'if�!i�l:'�iF.f�f��*f•�fi71i Chair Spicer said when he's gone in January the new Commissioners will need to come up with a new philosophy. Theory one is the City Council is going to approve projects that improves the City and residents want. Theory two is the Commission push for a new funding source and not do any improvements for awhile, which will put pressure on the City Council. I don't think it's fair not to do Rogers Lake Park next year when we've been doing a park every year. The Commission could easily say there is $50,000 in the Special Park Fund and that is not enough to do Rogers Lake Park. Commissioner Kraus asked if that is what should be done? There is no agreement on the Commission about how this should be handled and nothing is being done. Commissioner Morris said you could make that same argument if there was $50000 in the bank or we spent the $SQ000. There will be pressure on the City Council to find the additional funding. It's about $50,000 to $60,000 to rehab any park playground equipment. We are going to be out of money in three years even with the addition of the Opus property. Either way the City Council is going to have to make a decision to come up with additional funding. That could be a designated money or going out for a vote to enhance the parks. The last time a vote was taken for the parks system was in 1989. Page - 6 10/9/07 Approved Chair Spicer said in January it is conceivable that there could be three new commissioners members that will have different, better ideas and some unanimity about spending money. It's a decision as a group that will need to be made. We did push for a funding source during their workshop this year and the Council came back and said not this year. It doesn't mean they won't do it. I think that it is the way to do it. I agree we need a plan. Commission Portz said that he sees an evolving change when the Park Commission had their own funding source, the cell tower money, there was independence, an authority, projects were planned. There was funding for projects but it still had to be approved and wasn't micromanaged. We have spoken up many times — ever since the cell tower money has been cut out - we have been asking the City Council for a funding source. I can see micromanaging coming if we don't have our source of funds. From the Council stand point the fund is good for another two or three years. I don't think there is an immediate need for a funding source. I would say when we get to year of being out of money that we reemphasize in August to the City Council and show them we are out of money and ask if they want to micromanage the spending of money on improvements. We have spoken up in the past. I would like the independence of having our own funds. Commissioner Morris said if the City Council wants to micromanage every expenditure it would negate the idea to have a citizen commission to provide input to the Council. In the long run it still is in Council's interest to work with the citizen commission instead of the Council making all the decisions. Commissioner Kraus said he already thinks the Council micromanages. Take for example the improvements to the ball field here at City Hall. The ball field looks different than how the Parks Commission recommended the improvements. Chair Spicer said every year he's been on the Parks Commission the Commission has gone through a lot of money and we have had some replenishing source whether it's been houses or cell tower funds. Over the last three years they have denied us those sources. Commissioner Kraus asked how to persuade the Council to find funds for parks projects. Chair Spicer said the balance PA, fund will make that decision for the Council especially after what we approve to spend tonight. ROGERS LAKE PARK PLAYGROUND Mr. Kullander reported that the westerly playground in Rogers Lake Park was built in 1990. The treated wood timbers are in bad shape. If the playground equipment is not replaced, at minimum the timbers need to be replaced because of the dangerous condition they are in. The existing swing set is in good shape and should be kept. The new equipment is newer play equipment with cabling. The total price is $56,000. The price would come down if the Public Works Crew came in and took out the wood timbers, hauled them away, and scraped up the pea rock. It would drop the price down $4,000 to $5,000, If the border timbers are replaced in the newer, smaller play area some funds could come from the $6,000 maintenance budget for playground Page - 7 l0/9/07 Approved repair since it is repair work. An order placed in December 2007 for 2008 installation will beat the price increases in 2008 saving 2% to 3%. Commissioner Portz made a motion for the Rogers Lake Park Playground improvements with $5,000 from the parks maintenance budget, half of the funds from the Special Park Fund and half the funds from the Cell Tower Fund, seconded by Commissioner Morris. AYES 5 NAYS 0 UPDATES Mendota Elementary School - Mr. Kullander reported that the school district overlaid the part of the trail they own to Mendota School. The other part of the trail owned by the City over to Walsh Lane was overlaid last week. The low spots were filled in. Funds were used from the Public Works Maintenance Budget. The school district plows the trail. Commissioner Portz remarked that the trail looked nice. Bleacher Pads — Mr. Kullander reported that the bleacher pad project approved by the Parks Commission with $18,000 budgeted and money coming from Dakota County Community Development Block Grant was rejected. Bids received ranged from $87,437 to $133,889.50. The recommendation to the City Council was to reject the bids, break the project into smaller segments and combine them with other City street or trail rehabilitation projects over the next several years. Valley Park Trail — Mr. Kullander reported that 1,100 feet of trail in Valley Park, south of Marie Avenue was completed in late September. The trail was redone because of Xcel's work in the area. A bill has been sent to Xcel and there has been no reply as yet. Xcel has been good to work with in the past. Chair Spicer asked about the status of the trail signage. Mr. Kullander said that would be a top priority for the next month's meeting. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR 2008 Mr. Kullander said that Hagstrom-King Park is a Capital Improvement Project for 2008. These park improvements were a request from Mendota Heights Athletic Association. An outfield fence and backstop with netting would be put in to allow other field uses such as baseball for younger kids and women's fast pitch. Page - 8 10/9/07 Approved Chair Spicer directed Mr. Kullander to proceed with the plan. Commissioner Portz said to include in the memo that the Parks Commission and MHAA support the project. Mr. Kullander said that Friendly Marsh Park is included in the Capital Improvement Project for 2008. It could be improved to have a football field, which the City does not have; it could also be used for lacrosse or soccer. All that needs to be done is to strip the top soil, regrade, put the top soil back and seed. Chair Spicer asked where people would park. Mr. Kullander said a gravel parking lot would be put in for 3040 cars. Having another soccer field would take pressure off the other soccer fields in the City. There may be neighborhood opposition because of the traffic issues. This would be a low maintenance field with no irrigation. The rough estimate for doing the work is $80,000. Chair Spicer said to move it onto Council, see if they are interested in the project and see if they have a funding source since there are not enough funds in the Special Park Fund for the improvements. Mr. Kullander asked if the Parks Commission was interested in doing this project. All Commissioners responded they were. Chair Spicer said if Council is interested in the project, then a public hearing should be held soon so planning and engineering drawings can be prepared and the work could be done in the summer. I.7:7Lt� Chair Spicer asked how the former owners did last year at the Par 3 golf course. Mr. Sedlacek responded he believed they broke even. Commissioner Morris reported that there was a storm damaged box elder tree cut down this year Or. Sedlacek said the tree cutting cost about $1,000. He reported that revenues were just a little over $13,000 and $15,648.78 in expenditures for September. It was a negative month for September. There was a lot of rain in September. At Commissioner Portz' suggestion the report has been re -titled to Cash Flow Worksheet. The capital expenditures is at $28,937.00 which will double when the bills come in for putting in water at the golf course. There were concerns about depreciation and cost allocations on the monthly reports. These items are appropriate for the annual report but not the monthly reports. November has been set as the date for the release of a Page - 9 l0/9/07 Approved draft annual report which will follow the format of the Annual Report and General Purpose and Financial Statement. Depreciation and cost allocations will be in the annual report. Commissioner Portz said following the format of the Annual Report and General Purpose and Financial Statement is a smart way to go which will show a balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement. For the monthly Parks Commission meetings it is good to see a cash flow statement to base expenditures on that information. Mr. Sedlacek reported that the task force is looking at an analysis of what funds there were to start out with this year, what was spent this year and what is remaining for the upcoming year. The group has to recommend to the Parks and Recreation Commission what is a good structure for next year. The task force is looking at proposals from a couple of non-profit organizations that want to run the golf course for the City, a couple of for profit corporations that expressed an interest in running it or should we continue the way we are with the City running the golf course with part-time staff. Commissioner Portz said the format of the Cash Flow Worksheet is good. A cover memo should be included with the Cash Flow Worksheet to show how revenues are tracked, expenditures are recorded, and particularly any allocating that is done and put in writing so that it is understood. The task force will also look at planning for next year. Commissioner Morris made a motion to adjourn the meeting seconded by Commissioner Hicky. Meeting adjourned at 8:08 P.M. Page - 10 10/9/0 7