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1994-10-11 Parks and Rec Comm MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAROTA COUNTY, MINNESOTI PARRS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OCTOBER 11, 1994 The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, October 11, 1994, in the City Hall Large Conference Room, 1101 Victoria Curve. The meeting was called to order at 6:35 o'clock P.M. The following members were present Kleinglass, Libra, Norton and Spicer. Commissioners Damberg and Linnell were excused. Also present were Administrative Assistant Kevin Batchelder and Parks Project Manager Guy Kullander. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Norton moved to approve the August 9, 1994 minutes. Commissioner Kleinglass seconded the motion. AYES: 4 NAYS: 0 RESIGNATION OF VICRI RATZ Vice Chair Spicer announced that the City has received a resignation letter from Vicki Katz, Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Spicer stated Ms. Katz has accepted a job at a non-profit organization whose board meetings also occur on the same Tuesday evenings as the Parks Commission. Spicer stated that Ms. Katz has stated she will no longer be able to devote her time to the Commission. Spicer stated the Commission will miss Vicki and that he has personally enjoyed all of the years he has worked together with her on the Commission. REQUEST TO FLOOD PARR PLACE POND Mr. John Tuohy, a resident of Park Place, stated he is appearing on behalf of his wife, Jean, who is a board member for the Park Place Homeowner's Association. Mr. Tuohy stated he has had the opportunity to read the staff memo and the difficulties that present themselves for City involvement in the flooding of the Park Place pond. Mr. Tuohy stated residents in the neighborhood shovel and clear the ice on the pond for use by neighborhood children and adults. He stated that by mid season, the ice is in pretty poor shape and the Association had discussed this matter and was wondering if they could get the Public Works crews to help flood this rink once or twice a year just to touch up the ice. Mr. Tuohy stated he understands other neighborhoods have asked for this Parks and Recreation Commission October 11, 1994 Page 2 and have been denied. He stated his neighborhood is not asking for special treatment but was just exploring the possibility of providing a little better ice on their neighborhood pond. Administrative Assistant Batchelder explained the park crew is reluctant to take on this additional work due to their concerns about their ability in providing staff time and budgetary resources. Batchelder stated the park crews need additional help to complete the flooding and maintenance of the existing ice rinks and hockey rinks. He stated that seasonal employees and volunteers from Mendota Heights Athletic Association assist the park crews in maintaining the City rinks. Batchelder also stated there is some concern about using the fire hydrant across the street from the Park Place pond because its main purpose is for fire emergencies and there is a chance that if it is not operated correctly, it could become frozen and unavailable for fire emergencies. Vice Chair Spicer stated that for many years Mendota Heights Athletic Association has provided volunteers to take care of the ice flooding in the parks. Spicer stated the City hires additional park helpers to mow grass and take care of the parks in the summer but that these employees are laid off in the winter and that there is a really small park crew available for winter time park maintenance. Spicer stated that City staff could talk to Parks Leadperson Terry Blum to discuss whether it is possible to do this on a once or twice a winter basis. Mr. Tuohy stated that it is only possible to skate on the Park Place pond if the pond freezes before there is a snowfall. He stated if there is a large snowfall prior to the freezing of the ice, the ice does not seem to work very well all winter. The Commission discussed other skating opportunities in the area and discussed the potential enlargement of the free skating area at Wentworth Park. Batchelder stated that in 1995 the Capital Improvement Plan intended to switch the larger warming house from Ivy Falls Park to Wentworth Park and at that time we could look at also enlarging the free skating area at Wentworth Park. Spicer stated that the Parks Commission cannot authorize this additional time on behalf of the park crews to maintain the Park Place pond, however he stated that maybe Parks Leadperson Blum can provide some advice to the homeowners about improving the ice in this area. The Commission directed staff to talk to the parks department and determine if some assistance can be provided and to contact the homeowner's association. Parks and Recreation Commission October 11, 1994 Page 3 IVY PARR LANDSCAPE PLAN Vice Chair Spicer stated he understood that the landscape plan that the Parks Commission had discussed with the Engineering Department last year did not work very well and that more beautification is needed in Ivy Hills Park. Parks Project Manager Kullander stated the City had received many complaints about the lack of landscaping in the pond area and that it is pretty bare in this area. Kullander stated the contractor had mixed grass seed with the wild flower seed when seeding the sloped areas along the road and the berm. Kullander stated this is a large budget project and that requesting additional funding to provide adequate landscaping in the park is something the Parks Commission should consider. Vice Chair Spicer inquired if $15,000 to $20,000, as a guideline, with the plan done by City staff would be a responsible approach to addressing the landscape issue in Ivy Hills Park. The Parks Commission discussed appropriate funding amounts to provide adequate landscaping in this park. Kullander stated if the Parks Commission desired this be done by a landscape consultant, it would cost approximately $2,500 to $5,000 for design services. Commissioner Libra recommended that City Council authorize money from the Ivy Falls Storm Project to develop a landscape plan either by staff or an outside consultant, and then to implement the plan in the Spring of 1995 with a not to exceed total cost of $20,000. Commissioner Norton seconded the motion. AYES: 4 NAYS: 0 The Parks Commission discussed the types of amenities they would like included in the Ivy Hills Park landscape plan. The Commission discussed providing planters, either made out of rock or limestone, paved trails, tree plantings and wildflowers, and cattails and marsh grasses for the wetlands. The Commission stated a firm that specializes in wildflower plantings should be used to establish those areas designated on the plan for low maintenance natural wildflower or prairie grass areas. WATER RESOURCES EDUCATION PLAN Administrative Assistant Batchelder stated he had combined two issues into one agenda item. He stated the Parks Commission has discussed pond preservation at past meetings and had been kept up-to-date on Dakota County's water resources education Parks and Recreation Commission October 11, 1994 Page 4 plan. He stated this plan could be used by local communities to educate the public about water quality and water preservation efforts. He stated the other issue had been Commissioner Norton° s inquiry at the August meeting if the Parks Commission could discuss the use of chemical fertilizers on City owned grass by our park crews. Commissioner Norton stated the City should take the lead in practicing environmentally friendly approaches to landscape maintenance if we are going to be educating the public on sensible urban lawn care. Commissioner Norton felt that staff should explore ideas about using more natural area and native grasses that are low maintenance that do not require fertilizer. Norton stated the City should take the lead in providing attractive alternative landscaping that requires low maintenance. Parks Project Manager Kullander stated the additional Ivy Park landscape improvements be planned in this fashion with the wildflower plantings and the fringe areas around the pond can be addressed in this fashion. He stated this could be done instead of having totally mowed grass area it could be planted in native vegetation in areas not used for recreational uses. Kullander stated efforts could be made in educating the Public Works and Parks Department workers on wildflowers and more natural species as opposed to the training they receive in turf management. Commissioner Norton stated the City of Edina was recently covered in the Star Tribune for their efforts in environmentally friendly lawn maintenance practices. Kullander stated MnDOT has been experimenting with wildflower and different grasses, such as salt tolerant grasses, and that they have established specs that contractors are becoming familiar with and that the City can bid out for wildflower and other grass type uses. The Commission requested that staff look into this further and that they should stay on top of this issue and bring it back to a future Park Commission meeting. The Commission directed staff to analyze the use of fertilizer on City property, analyze where fertilizer is not needed , analyze where "zero phosphorus" is appropriate and if it is possible to monitor fertilizer levels through soil testing and explore the possibilities of more natural areas. Commissioner Libra stated that the Stenciling Program should move forward for protecting the ponds and storm water areas. The Parks Commission discussed volunteering their time to participate in stenciling and asked staff to bring this back at a mid winter meeting. Parks and Recreation Commission October 11, 1994 Page 5 Administrative Assistant Batchelder stated the National Park Service is considering the establishment of grants and grant programs for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA). Batchelder stated the National Park Service desires to identify the range and magnitude of possible grant projects within the river corridor so that they can determine funding levels and technical assistance. Batchelder stated the parks services asked all jurisdictions in the corridor to respond with grant proposal ideas. The Commission discussed possible grant ideas and felt that staff should send in grant proposal ideas to the National Park Service for the following items: 1. Scenic Overlook 2. New Park Development 3. Informational Materials 4. Non Point Source Pollution 5. Educational Programs 6. Scenic Bluff, Overlook and and Storm Water Clean Up Bird Watching Opportunities The Commission directed staff to prepare these scoping forms for the National Park Service. VERBAL UPDATES Administrative Assistant Batchelder stated the next meeting on November 8 is the same day as an election and that the meeting cannot start until 8:00 P.M. Batchelder inquired if the Commission wanted to meet on a different evening or if they would like to begin their meeting at 8:00 o'clock P.M. The Commission directed staff to prepare the November park meeting for their regular day beginning at 8:00 o'clock P.M. Batchelder distributed a petition that had been received by City Council at their October 4 meeting from residents of the Brentwood and Kensington neighborhoods officially petitioning the City of Mendota Heights not to construct the picnic shelter structure in North Kensington Park. Batchelder stated this park shelter had been included as an option at the time the City Council approved the concept plans. He stated the City Council directed the architect to include the shelter in the final plans and specifications as an option to be considered at the time when the final plans are approved or bids awarded. Vice Chair Spicer stated it has been the Parks Commission contention all along that there should not be a picnic shelter located in North Kensington Park, Commissioner Libra stated Parks and Recreation Commission October 11, 1994 Page 6 that all of the points the residents are making in the petitions are points that the Parks Commission has already made. Libra stated if the residents in this area want a more passive park then perhaps the landscape plan should be scaled back for the design of this park and it may not be necessary to build such a masterpiece in North Kensington Park. Commissioner Libra stated the Parks Commission should acknowledge this petition and he moved to recommend that the shelter be eliminated. Commissioner Norton seconded the motion. AYES: 3 NAYS: 0 ABSTAIN: 1, KLEINGLASS Commissioner Kleinglass stated that he abstained from voting on this recommendation because this item will come back to the Parks Commission at the time of the final plans and can be addressed at that time. Administrative Assistant Batchelder stated that the Kensington Park residents had expressed concern about traffic on Stockbridge Avenue where the trail crosses from North Kensington Park from South Kensington Park and he stated that Joni Giese, landscape architect, will be addressing this as part of the final plans. Parks Project Manager Kullander described the ongoing park improvements that were approved for 1994 including the enlargement of the Friendly Hills skating rink. Kullander stated this project had been completed and included the moving of the warming house, the realignment of electric and gas service, enlarging of the skating rink and redesign of the drainage and the restoration of the grass that was disturbed during the enlargement. Kullander stated the park crews took a lot of pride in this project and are looking forward to having a larger skating rink to serve the non -hockey public. Kullander stated that the Wentworth Park play equipment had been ordered and the City is awaiting delivery. Kullander stated the bridge for Valley Park had come in very high during the bidding process, so staff is re -bidding the project and is looking at alternatives in order to keep the price of the bridge under $10,000. Kullander stated the informational signs in the parks has been put on hold, however the maps for the trail system are being Parks and Recreation Commission October 11, 1994 Page 7 updated with the receipt of new highway maps. He stated the signs should be able to be installed in the City parks in early spring. The Commission discussed stenciling mile markers on the trails and discussed the fact that perhaps the Commission should spend a Saturday or Sunday doing the stenciling themselves in order to give them an opportunity to see the park system and provide a benefit to the City. The Commission asked staff to place this on the next agenda. Kullander described the Crown Point washout and the fact that MnDOT has hired a contractor to fix this. Commissioner Norton inquired about work going on in Valley Park north of Marie Avenue. Kullander stated that washouts had occurred in this area and that gabions are being installed by the same contractor who is working on the Ivy Falls Project. Kullander stated the City staff had taken some time in analyzing the situation at the archery range and that staff is proposing some signs be installed along the trail warning trail users. He stated that selective cutting of the grass would establish shooting lanes that will be separated from the trail area with a natural barrier, that signs could be installed announcing the rules of the archery range and that staff is considering using metal poles to install the hay bails. He stated that for the most part, people will be bringing their own targets to the range. Kullander stated he attended the public hearing for the County's North Urban Trail Plan. He stated a few Mendota Heights residents also attended and spoke in opposition to the trail if it was in their front yard. Kullander stated the North Urban Trail Plan next goes to the County Board and if approved, it will be sent to the Metropolitan Council. He stated the Metropolitan Council will be reviewing this plan to determine if regional trail standards can be deviated from as far as the width of the trail and boulevards. Administrative Assistant Batchelder submitted pictures of the recent vandalism in City parks, particularly spray painting of various park facilities. Commissioner Libra stated the soccer season is now over for the Mendota Heights Athletic Association and they had over 600 people participate. He stated the Mendota Heights Athletic Association's recent newsletter thanked the City for the good Parks and Recreation Commission October 11, 1994 Page 8 job they have one with the fields and that for the most part all of the soccer fields have worked very well. Libra stated the City has done a great job both in maintenance and in scheduling of the soccer fields and that Mendota Heights Athletic Association is grateful. The Commission discussed the deterioration of the Wentworth Park soccer field. Libra stated that perhaps Wentworth Park needs to be regulated because of the poor drainage of the field and when it receives heavy use gets quiet muddy. Libra stated the Kensington fields are extremely noisy with the air noise and freeway noise, but otherwise are excellent fields.. PARR VISION AND PHILOSOPHY Administrative Assistant Batchelder stated that the City Council had desired that the Commission consider and review various park policies in order to establish a mission, a vision or philosophy for both parks and recreation. He stated this is a high priority on the Target List for 1993/1994. He stated that specifically the Council requested the Commission: 1. Evaluate future capital improvement needs within the parks system. 2. Clarify the purpose and use of various park and recreation funding sources. 3. Review the current park dedication formula. 4. Review the need for additional recreational programming. Batchelder stated the Commission has completed Item No. 1 which is to establish a capital improvement plan. The Commission discussed establishing policies for the Special Park Fund, park dedications and to review the current status of the recreation program. Vice Chair Spicer stated there are so many things the City could be doing if it had a full time recreation department. Spicer mentioned golf programs and ski trips as possibilities. The Commission requested that Recreation Programmer Shelli Morgan appear on a future agenda to provide a review of the recreation programs in the past year and to get her ideas about future recreation programs that the City could have. The Commission discussed a document entitled "The Role of the Park and Recreation Commission" and felt that the work which had been done in 1992 is the basic framework for a mission statement. The Commission asked staff to incorporate this language into a mission statement and perhaps this could be added as a Purpose section in the Ordinance which establishes the Parks and Recreation Commission. Parks and Recreation Commission October 11, 1994 Page 9 ELECTION OF OFFICERS The Commission directed staff to place on the November agenda the selection of a Vice Chair to replace Acting Chair Spicer until the February meeting. There being no further business, the Parks and Recreation Commission adjourned its meeting at 8:10 o'clock P.M. Respectfully submitted, Kevin Batchelder Administrative Assistant