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1998-01-13 Parks and Rec Comm Agenda PacketCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA AGENDA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 13, 1998 6:30 p.m. -Large Conference Room Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of the December 9, 1997 Minutes 4. Request for the Sanding and Salting of Trails 5. Results from Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Discussion 6. Updates • Recreation Programmer's Update (Available Tuesday) • Parks Report (Available Tuesday) • Police Report (Available Tuesday) Adjourn Auxiliary aids for persons with disabilities are available upon request at least 120 hours in advance. If a notice of less than 120 hours is received, the City of Mendota Heights will make every attempt to provide the aids. This may not, however, be possible on short notice. Please contact City Administration at 452-1850 with requests. CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 9, 1997 The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, December 9, 1997, in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. The following Commissioners were present: Liberacki, Libra, Damberg, and Linnell. Chairman Spicer and Commissioners Norton and Kleinglass were excused from the meeting. Also present was City Planner Marc Wiegle, Recreation Programmer Bill Bird, and Administrative Assistant Patrick C. Hollister, APPROVAL OF AUGUST 12 PARK AND RECREATION MINUTES Commissioner Libra moved to approve the October 14, 1997 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes. Commissioner Linnell seconded the motion. AYES: 4 NAYS: 0 Commissioner Libra wished to congratulate the Sibley girls' and boys' soccer teams. Commissioner Libra said that the girls' team was the State Champion this year, and that the boys' team also did quite well. UPCOMING MNRRA MEETING Mr. Wiegle informed the Commission that on January 9, 1998 at 9:00 am at City Hall, Mendota Heights City Staff would meet with representatives from Mendota, Lilydale, Saint Paul, Fort Snelling, Dakota County, the DNR, MnDOT, the State Historic Preservation Office, the National Park Service and the Metropolitan Council, as well as District #15 Councilmember Kevin Howe, to discuss issues common to one or more of the jurisdictions in relation to the Minnesota National River and Recreation Area (i.e., the Mississippi River). Mr. Wiegle continued that key topics in the discussion would include park and trail improvements and linkages, land use, design standards, historic preservation and stormwater management. Mr. Wiegle added that any Commissioner who has time to attend this meeting would be more than welcome to come. Commissioner Damberg said that she may come to the meeting on January 9, 1998. Mr. Wiegle then summarized the work thus far on the MNRRA portion of the Comprehensive Plan Revision. Mr. Wiegle discussed the Critical Area Plan, the MNRRA Comprehensive Management Plan, and cooperation efforts with the cities of Mendota and Lilydale. Mr. Wiegle also provided an overview of the elements of the MNRRA plan, including goals and policies, trails, parks, historic and cultural preservation and enhancement, visual impacts/design standards, parking, access to lookouts, increasing views of the river, signs/information/maps, improving Mississippi Rover quality, natural drainage area improvements/maintenance, and natural habitat preservation and enhancement. Mr. Wiegle then solicited comments from the Commissioners in anticipation of the meeting on January 9. Commissioner Libra provided a list of several trail linkage ideas to Mr. Wiegle, including the 35E bridge, the "Ragin' Cajun", and a link to Valley Park. Commissioner Liberacki said that he would provide hi comments to Mr. Wiegle later in writing. Commissioner Linnell suggested a trail improvement at Lake Park and an overlook either behind or above the Amoco station. Commissioner Damberg excused herself from the meeting at this point. UPDATES Recreation Programmer's Update Mr. Bird updated the Parks Commission on his activities, including hiring rink attendants, assisting the Mendota Heights Senior Club, youth day trips with West Saint Paul, adult open volleyball at Mendota Elementary School, ice skating lessons, softball registrations, and joint programming with Community Education. Mr. Bird also said that plans for cross-country ski trails at Par 3 golf course were "on hold". Commissioner Libra suggested that Mendakota Golf Course may be a better place for cross-country skiing than Par 3. Sibley Activity Center Proposal Mr. Hollister presented a written proposal for a new Activity Center at Sibley High School. Mr. Hollister said that the City Council was being asked to comment on this proposal by ISD 197 officials, and that the Council was soliciting input from both the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Planning Commission before making any statements on the merit of the proposal. Mr. Hollister continued that there was some confusion because there seemed to be more than one version of the proposal in circulation, but that he would try to provide whatever the "latest" version was to the Commission in January. 2 The Commissioners all said that they were not involved in promoting the Activity Center idea, and that they needed more information to make a judgment about its merit. Commissioner Comments Commissioner Linnell wished to compliment Guy Kullander on his work at North Kensington Park. Commissioner Linnell said that he would have preferred that somewhat more of the "wild" aspect of the original design be preserved, but that the results were satisfactory. Commissioner Linnell also said that the free skating areas at Wentworth and Ivy Parks were too small, and that this probably accounted for the little amount of use they received. Commissioner Linnell also commented that he had read in the paper lately that participation in the sport of tennis had declined and that participation in golf had increased. I_�171L�1tl:7►`I Motion made to adjourn by Linnell and seconded by Libra. AYES: 3 NAYS: 0 The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Patrick C. Hollister CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS MEMO January 6, 1998 TO: Parks and Recreation Commission FROM: James E. Danielson, Public Works Direct O C SUBJECT Sanding/Salting Trails Request DISCUSSION: I recently received a call from a resident living within the Copperfield Development requesting that the City sand and salt trails. She is a jogger and feels that it should be done for safety reasons. I told her that the City would not sand and salt trails and she asked to whom could she appeal my decision. I told her the Parks and Recreation Commission. I denied her request for the following reasons: 1. .The City currently does not have the appropriate equipment to apply sand and salt to trails. 2. If we begin sanding and salting trails, how thoroughly would we do it? If we sand and salt trails, and then still have slippery spots would we be increasing the City's liability? 3. Applying sand and salt on the trails would add more sand and salt to residents' lawns, which is already a source of many complaints. Neighboring suburbs do not sand and salt their trails. (The complainant tells me that Minneapolis applies sand and salt on the trails around their lakes). Hers is currently the only request I have received to sand and salt the trails. ACTION REQUIRED: This memo is provided as information for discussion with the Copperfield resident should she attend the meeting. CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS MEMO January 7, 1998 TO: Parks and Recreation Commission FROM: Patrick C. Hollister, Administrative Assistant SUBJECT: Results from MNRRA Discussion on January 9, 1998 Discussion On January 9, 1998 at 9:00 am at City Hall, Mendota Heights City Staff will meet with representatives from Mendota, Lilydale, Saint Paul, Fort Snelling, Dakota County, the DNR, MnDOT, the State Historic Preservation Office, the National Park Service and the Metropolitan Council, as well as District # 15 Councilmember Kevin Howe, to discuss issues common to one or more of our jurisdictions in relation to the Minnesota National River and Recreation Area (i.e., the Mississippi River). Key topics in the discussion include park and trail improvements and linkages, land use, design standards, historic preservation and stormwater management. (Any Commissioner who has time to attend this meeting is more than welcome to come.) Please see the attached letter and list of all meeting participants. Staff will provide a summary of the results of this meeting at the January 13, 1998 meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Action Required Listen to the summary of the January 9 meeting and ask any questions you may have.