2005-09-08 Parks and Rec Comm Agenda PacketCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP
WITH PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
THURSDAY9 SEPTEMBER 81 2005 - COUNCIL CHAMBERS
5:30 P.M.
1. Call to Order - 5:30 p.m.
2. Board Darts Bus for Tour of Parks and Trails
3. Adjourn
Note: Beverages and snacks will be available for attendees beginning
at 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 8 -, 2005 (Approximate tour length = 8 miles)
Leave
City Hall at:
5:30
pm
to tour selected sites
Return
at:
7:00
pm
for follow up discussion(s) in Council Chambers
ROUTE PARK / TRAIL ISSUE(Sl
1. City Hall: Go south on Lexington - Possible future trail on east side of Lexington (Wagon
Wheel to Hwy 110)
- View trail constructed to south on Lexington in 2006
1.1 Easton Wagon Wheel Trail to ... -Future trail when street is reconstructed (Park to
Lexington) -located on south side of roadway
2. Roger's Lake Park -Shoreline restoration (DNR /City project)
- Lake aerator
- Fishing pier (DNR funded)
- Playground rehabilitation in 2008
- Right -of way turn back along 135E (see attachment t)
- ADA improvements (CDA funds) in 2006
- Request for boat launch
- Pave access driveway and parking areas ?
- Skate park
- Buckthorn removal - winter 2006
- Change Lake or Park name to recognize Cliff Timm
3. Wagon Wheel Trail: easterly to... -Future trail when street is reconstructed - trail to be
Located north side of road (from Park to Dodd Rd.)
- Shoreline fishing - parking restrictions
- Water quality- roadside trash
- Formation of Lake Association
- Fishing improvements (dredge to deepen lake)
- Land acquisition (Pince & Kuhlanek parcels- Cliff
Timm proposal) (seeattachment2)
3.1 Wagon Wheel TrI @Dodd Rd. -Future trail connection on west side of Dodd Rd
Wagon Wheel TrI north to Mendakota Park
3.2 Decorah Lane to Huber Drive -Existing off-street & on -street trails
- Friendly Hills Park
- Paved hockey rink
- Replace rink lighting
- Tennis court conditions (Ivy, Valley, Marie, &
Wentworth all similar)
4. Copperfield Ponds Area - Buckthorn control operations in 2004 & 2005
- Possible restoration of native plant species
(see attachment 3)
- Trail reconstruction with future street project
4A North & east on Huber Dr. to...
4.2 Delaware. North on Delaware to...
5. Sibley High School
5.1 Warrior Dr. to Hwy 110 Frontage Rd
5.2 Market St. to Dodd Rd
5.3 North on Dodd Rd to Marie
5.4 From Marie, north on Dodd to
Wentworth. West on Wentworth to...
City constructed four foot wide on -street trail
both sides of Delaware to Hwy 110
Improvements funded by School District
- Baseball field
- Tennis courts
- NURT trail proposed for north side of roadway
- Town Center
- NURT trail location
- Fountain / gathering space(s)
- Pond (depth, bubbler, site plantings)
- Future trail segment from Town Center to Marie
- Use of Hwy 149 shoulders for bike/ped use
s. Wentworth Park -Playground rehabilitated in 2005
- ADA improvements (CDA) 2006 (Shelters/field)
- Skating facilities (Rinks, warming house, lights)
- Backstop replacement in 2006 (Marie & Valley)
- Seal coat parking lot in 2006 (all parks)
- Acquire Foss property (8 acres) for parkland
- Acquire wetlands easterly for future storm pond(s)
(See attachment 4)
6.1 From park go east to Dodd Rd
6.2 From Wentworth go north on Dodd to:
6.3 Somerset School
6.4 North on Dodd to Ivy Hill Drive then
West on Iry Hill Dr. to...
7. Ivy Hill Park...back on Ivy Hill
Dr. to Maple Park Dr. to
Sylvandale Rd.
7.1 Sylvandale Rd. northerly to Hwy 13
- New playground, basket ball court and trail
connection from Dodd west to City trail
View "Spacenet" play component
- Tennis court maintenance issues (court conditions
similar at Valley, Wentworth, Friendly &Marie)
Playground rehabilitation in 2006
Native plants around holding pond
Picnic shelter requested for this park (a/so
Vctoria-High/ands, and Marie)
View open land east of trail owned by
Town home associations
7.2 Southwesterly on Hwy 13 to...
8. Opus (EcoLab) site @ Wachtler
8.1 Southwesterly on Hwy 13
8.2 From Lilydale Rd go southwesterly
On Hwy 13 to Scenic Overlook
Future trail on Wachtler & Hwy 13
Extend trail from Opus to Lilydale Rd
Note trail "up from" Big Rivers Trail
Note trail to and across 1-35E Bridge
-View "hard design" of fully developed overlook
for comparison to minimal design recommended
for Pilot Knob
8.3 From overlook go east on Mendota -Missing trail segment from Hwy 13 to Pilot Knob Rd
Heights Rd. then north on Pilot Knob - Possible trail segments to link Brown College and
Road to... Le Cordon Bleu
9. Pilot Knob Site (Allen property)
9.1 Easton Acacia to Hwy 13, north on
Hwy 13 to Victoria Curve, then east
back to...
1. City Hall
- View overlook area &site to be restored
View 4 acre parcel to east of cul-de-sac
View 12 acre parcel east of Pilot Knob Rd.
On Acacia Blvd., view City owned parcels
- Follow up discussions) in Council Chambers,
if necessary.
Attachments.•
1. Map illustrates MnDOT parcels requested for "Turn -back" to City
2. Map illustrates 2 parcels Cliff Timm has indicated he would like City to
acquire and has offered to contribute a portion of the purchase costs
3. `City Natural Resources Management Plan"- excerpt from study recommends
restoration of native plants in Coppenield Ponds area
4. `City Local Surface Water Management Plan"- excerpt from study recommends
Construction ofpretreatment ponds east of existing pond. Additional ponds)
will be needed when streets in the Avenues" are reconstructed.
Route map, agenda, and attachments prepared by Guy Kullander
Date: (last updated &printed) -August 30, 2005
Stop # 2 - Roger's Lake Park II 1
ATTACHMENT
Stop # 3 -Wagon Wheel Trail II Z
ATTACHMENT
Copperfield
Ponds is twofold:
first, controlling
damage (invasive species
and erosion) and second,
augmenting
natural areas and
establishing new plantings. See Map F for
locations.
Damage Control
1. Since buckthorn is plentiful here, and contributes to the look and feel of this pedestrian -friendly
park, a gradual but rigorous control strategy is recommended. This is a several -year process, and
will require ongoing follow up to keep the plant in check. See Appendix A for techniques.
• First, pull seedlings and saplings in least infested areas to prevent spread and expose ground to
other species.
• Next control fruiting specimens, the generally large female plants that pepper the woods and
are prominent along the path between ponds. The prolific fruits produce seeds that are rapidly
spread by birds.
• Finally, remove remaining buckthorn in the park, beginning with areas closest to native plants.
2. Amur maple and Siberian elm. It is important tb remove these opportunistic species to prevent
their establishment in areas opened up by buckthorn removal. Amur maple occurs midway be-
tween trailheads and in the wooded area immediately west of ponds. Siberian elm is dispersed
throughout the park, but most noticeable in the southern portion, between ponds and flanking the
southern Huber Drive trailhead. Given the visibility and, to the uneducated eye, attractive appear-
ance of this grove a trees, informational signage near the removal site would be helpful, followed
by rapid restoration with native trees and/or herbaceous plants.
3. Control thistles east of large pond. (See suggestion 1 under Restoration, below.)
4. Discourage
leaf and
brush dumping (near
Huber Drive north trailhead), same as for Valley Park
(number 8 on
page 23):
educate, inform and
fine offenders.
5.
Cut back
aggressive grape
that
is strangling dogwood
shrubs west of
path, about 200 feet south
of
trailhead.
Periodically cut
back
grape if it threatens to
overtake other
native shrubs.
6. Several
eroding areas near the north trailhead could be impacting water quality
by allowing
sediment,
pollutants
and nutrients (from fertilizers and other upland sources) to enter ponds.
The channel that has formed in the gravel path at the northern trailhead is accepting too much
runoff from the adjacent asphalt path; regrade path to better distribute the flow.
In the
same
vicinity, close to Huber
Drive, bank
erosion is occurring near a stormwater
inlet. The
likely
result
of stormwater flushes,
this erosion
is a symptom of a Larger
scale problem
involving
Ban' EnQineerinn Cnmonnu 2s
i
r
r.4
4. WETLAND MANAGEMENT PLAN
4.S.I Priority Area Inventory
This study focused on wetlands within City owned land and parks. Areas that were
identified within the Northern Dakota County Greenway and in the City's Natural
Resource Management Plan were given the highest priority for management
recommendations. Each priority area has varying degrees of degradation and thus varying
degrees of difficulty in restoration. Three main issues influence most of the wetlands
within the city: vegetation communities dominated by invasive species, inputs of
untreated stormwater, and lack of adequate buffers. The following discussion details
current issues and management recommendations.
Wentworth Park:
• Increase buffer area on west pond. Eliminate mowing to the edge of the pond and
replant with native vegetation. Buffer will help filter runoff into pond and reduce
nutrient loading that causes excessive algae. Place a wetland buffer educational
sign near trail head from parking lot.
• Construct pretreatment ponds for incoming stormwater.
• Raise water level in wetland to help control invasive reed canary grass and allow
filtration of nutrients prior to entering west pond.
Friendly Hills Park:
• Increase wetland buffers by limiting mowing near edge of ponds. Replant with
native vegetation.
• Provide pretreatment for stormwater inputs in pond and along ditch outlet. This
would also help water quality in the downstream Copperfield Ponds.
Valley Park:
• Wetlands along stream channel have been degraded by invasive species and lack
of hydrology, due to the channel acting like a ditch.
• Severe erosion along channel banks in the portion of the park north of Marie
Avenue.
• Install rock checks to prevent further bank erosion and restore hydrology to the
adjacent wetlands.
• Reduce further bank erosion with a combination of bioengineering practices,
which could include planting native shrubs to help stabilize.
• Examine watershed for solutions to control rate and volume of water coming into
the park.
eo•e:t.ao
® rzosene
Ar,aenx �
Assad es
City Of N Off Street Bituminous
Parks
arTrail (6' to 8' wide)
Lilydale Pedestrian Trail (6 ft. wide)
Proposed North Urban Regional Trail
JOINT WORKSH (�akota County)
CITY COUNCIL & PARKS AND RE' Wide Shoulders/On Street
THURSDAY SEPTEM City Park Land
5:30 P.h Open Space
Mendota Heights
Water
Surrounding Communities
City Hall/Police/Fire/Public Works
Friendly Hills Park
Friendly Marsh Park
Hagstrom King Park
Ivy Hills Park
Kensington Park
Marie Park
Mendakota Park
Rogers Lake Park
Valley Park
Victoria Highland Park
Wentworth Park
Valley View Heights Park
hails ,shown within the City limits are maintained by
yews except:
(A) Big Rivers Regional Tra&Dakota County
(B) Dodd Rd/TH 149 shoulders- MmDot
screte sidewalks are not shown on plan.
rperfield Pond (c) trail is a gravel trail
fMendota Heights
to County Surveying &
Information Department
Last Revised: August 18, 2005