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2003-06-10 Parks and Rec Comm MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES .IIJNE 10, 2003 The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, June 10, 2003 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. The following Commissioners were present: Commissioners Larry Craighead, Paul Portz, Missie Hickey, Dave Libra, and Raymond Morris. Chair Richard Spicer was excused from the meeting. Commissioner Stan Linnell arrived late. City Staff present were Parks Project Manager Guy Kullander, Recreation Programmer Teresa Gangelhoff, and Administrative Assistant Patrick C. Hollister. Mr. Hollister took the minutes. This meeting was televised by NDCTV and replayed the following Friday at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm. [Commissioner Libra served as Acting Chair until the amval of Vice -Chair Linnell.] y I1�►`(ly 11 �f.7 Commissioner Morriss moved to approve the May 13, 2003 minutes with revisions. Commissioner Craighead seconded the motion. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 [Vice -chair Linnell arrived at this point.] CLIFFORD TIMM: ROGERS LAKE DREDGING Mr. Clifford Timm, 1167 Smith Avenue South, West Saint Paul, addressed the Commission. Mr. Timm said that he was concerned about the number of dead fish in Rogers Lake. Mr. Timm said that he had spoken with the City Council about the possibility of dredging a portion of the north end of Rogers Lake in order to prevent fish from being trapped and dying each year for a lack of oxygen. Mr. Timm said that the Council had referred him to the Parks Commission to discuss this further. Commissioner Libra said that the City would have to consult with Barr Engineering, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and possibly the Army Corps of Engineers about dredging Rogers Lake. Commissioners Morriss and Linnell thanked Mr. Timm for his recent generous donations to the City. Commissioner Morriss moved to direct Mr. Kullander to ask the City Council to approve a feasibility study for Dredging Rogers Lake, including an investigation of the possibility of installing a second aerator on the north end of Rogers Lake as an alternative to dredging. Commissioner Portz seconded the motion. AYES: 6 NAYS: 0 RECREATION PROGRAMMF,R'S UPDATE Ms. Gangelhoff reported that last weekend's Celebrate Mendota Heights Parks was a big success. Ms. Gangelhoff thanked those Parks and Recreation Commissioners who had volunteered to help at the event. Ms Gangelhoff said that she would provide a summary of the event to the Parks Commission and the Council next month. The Commission thanked Ms. Gangelhoff for her great work and congratulated her on a successful event. The Commission then broke into applause for Ms. Gangelhoff. Ms. Gangelhoff said that unfortunately, MFIAA had left quite a mess in the Mendakota ballfield area after their weekend tournament. Ms Gangelhoff said that Public Works had suggested that she bill MHAA for the cost of the clean-up. Mr. Kullander recalled that this same issue came up several years ago and that provisions had been put in place for charging MHAA for the cost of clean-up. The Commission suggested that Ms. Gangelhoff send a bill to MHAA and that in the future, she may wish to require a damage deposit from MHAA for field reservation. MENDAKOTA AND CIVIC CENTER FENCE AND BACKSTOP REPAIRS Mr. Kullander presented the bids that he had recieved for these items. Commissioner Libra moved to recommend that the Council accept the low bid from Century Fence for the Civic Center and authorize an 8' x 80' fence at the Mendakota soccer field for a cost of approximately $11,500, As part of the motion, Commissioner Libra asked Mr. Kullander to move the Civic Center practice pitching mound to a later year on the CIP to accommodate these expenditures. Commissioner Hickey seconded the motion. AYES: NAYS: MENDAKOTA PARK PLAYGROUND IMPROVEMENTS Mr. Kullander gave the Commission a presentation on the estimates he received for Mendakota Park playground equipment. Mr. Kullander proposed adding additional elements in the northwest corner near the parking lot and fill the pea rock area with concrete and a rubberized surface. Commissioner Moms moved to accept Mr. Kullander's proposal. Commissioner Libra seconded the motion. AYES: NAYS: HAGSTROM-HING PLAYGROUND IMPROVEMENTS Mr. Kullander explained that Hagstrom-King park was originally dedicated to the City as part of the Hampshire Estates development. Mr. Kullander said that the wooden timbers in the playground equipment in the park are worn and rotting. Mr. Kullander added that this is the only play area in the City with sand. Mr. Kullander said that he believed the Minnesota/Wisconsin company's proposal was the best value for the City and that their proposal contained the most play components/events. Commissioner Moms moved to recommend that the Council accept the Wisconsin company's quoted price of $39,4vu, As part of the motion, Commissioner Morris also accepted a friendly amendment from Commissioner Craighead to consider adding two more benches. Commissioner Libra seconded the motion as amended. AYES: NAYS: VALLEY PARK CROSS-COUNTRY SKI TRAIL The Commission directed Mr. Kullander to strike this item from the Parks 5-year CIP. KENSINGTON PARK FENCING Mr. Kullander recalled that the Commission had asked that this item be tabled to this month from last month to give Commissioner Libra a chance to comment on this item. Commissioner Libra said that the fence should only be taken down if another fence can either be added or heightened to provide the same protection from stray soccer balls and if the homeowner who raised the issue is willing to pay for all of it. Mr. Kullander shared two inquiries that he had recently received from residents. The first was a request for a BMX bike trail in Mendota Heights, the second was a request to bring back the swings in Valley Park. Mr. Kullander commented that he had responded to the inquiry about a BMX trail by saying that there was no where in the City where such a facility would be feasible. Mr. Kullander said that he had responded to the Valley Park Swing inquiry by saying that the swings were previously located too close to the creek. Commissioner Linnell agreed that the previous location of the swing sets was undesirable, and encouraged Parks Commissioners to think about where swing sets could go in the future the next time that they walk around Valley Park, SKATE PARK Mr. Kullander announced that the ramps and jumps for the new Rogers Lake Skate Park would be delivered around June 20''. Commissioner Morris suggested publicizing the skate park opening in the Heights Hilities and with a press release to local newspapers. PAR 3 GOLF COURSE Mr. Hollister informed the Commission that the owner of Par 3 Golf Course had submitted an application for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change the designation for the golf course from GC "Golf Course" to LR "Low Density Residential', Mr. Hollister said that both the Planning Commission and the Council had indicated that the City was not interested in changing the Comprehensive Plan designation for the Golf Course to facilitate residential development. Commissioner Portz moved to advise the Planning Commission and the Council that the Par 3 property should remain a golf course in perpetuity, either in private ownership or if necessary as a municipal golf course. Commissioner Libra seconded the motion. AYES: 6 NAYS: 0 OTHER COMMENTS Commissioner Craighead acknowledged a memorandum from City Engineer Marc Mogan regarding the Lexington Avenue Trail. Commissioner Craighead expressed his hope that the trail would become a focus once again after work on Town Center had decreased. Commissioner Libra said that he would be interested in seeing a map of the leftover MnDOT right -of -ay south of Mendota Plaza at a future meeting. Commissioner Libra said that the right-of-way could be a source of future parkland. Commissioner Craighead asked about vandalism of the Kensington Park bathroom facilities. Mr. Kullander said that it is an ongoing problem, and that he would ask Public Works for an update on the situation. UPDATES Staff provided updates on the following items: • Police Report ADJOURN Motion made to adjourn by Libra and seconded by Portz. AYES: NAYS: The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.