1996-12-10 Parks and Rec Comm MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES
DECEMBER 10,1996
The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held
on Tuesday, December 10, 1996, in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 1101
Victoria Curve. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM.
The following Commissioners were present: Spicer, Libra, Kleinglass, Norton, Damberg,
and Liberacki. Commissioner Linnell arrived late. Also present were Recreation
Programmer Chris Esser and Administrative Assistant Patrick C. Hollister.
Commissioner Norton moved to approve the October 8, 1996 Minutes with corrections.
Commissioner Meinglass seconded the motion.
AYES: 6
NAYS: 0
SUMMER UNDER THE SUN
(Commissioner Linnell arrived at this point.)
Bev Fritz of ISD 197 Community Education appeared before the Parks and Recreation
Commission to request that the City match West Saint Paul's contribution to the Summer
Under the Sun program for 1996. Ms. Fritz said that West Saint Paul had contributed
$2,930.20 for 1996, and that she is asking for a matching contribution from the City of
Mendota Heights.
Chairman Spicer pointed out that Staff had suggested the possibility of making any future
funding contribution from Mendota Heights proportional to the number of Mendota
Heights children involved in the program, since only 48 Mendota Heights children
participated in the program for 1996, as opposed to 72 children from West Saint Paul.
Ms. Fritz responded that there was a possibility that the entire program may move to
Sibley High School beginning in 1997, since the "community center" in West Saint Paul
was scheduled to be torn down. Ms. Fritz said that she anticipated that proportionally
more Mendota Heights children would be involved in the program once it had moved to
Sibley High School.
Commissioner Spicer asked for a motion to recommend that the Council approve the
matching contribution to Summer Under the Sun for $2,930.20 for 1996, and make no
commitment to funding the program for 1997 or beyond until Ms. Fritz or another
representative from ISD 197 Community Education returns to the Parks and Recreation
Commission sometime early next year to explain the future of the program.
Commissioner Norton so moved.
Commissioner Liberacki seconded the motion.
AYE5:
NAYS:
Bev Fritz thanked the Commission and left the meeting.
Commissioner Kleinglass commented that the Summer Under the Sun fixnding should have
been a matter that did not need the Parks Commission's attention, and that Staff should
have been authorized to make this payment without taking the Parks and Recreation
Commission's time with such small amounts of money.
Mr. Hollister responded that such expenditures must go to Council for approval, and that
Staff had brought this item to the Parks and Recreation Commission first in order to
provide an opportunity for input on this program before it went to Council.
Commissioner IQeinglass said that the Staff should be empowered to make more decisions
and that Councilmembers and Commissioners were engaged in too much "minutia".
Commissioner Meinglass added that he intended to bring this issue up at the Joint
Workshop with the Council in January.
Chairman Spicer said that it was good for the Commission to "touch base" with these
programs, but that perhaps the Commission could meet every other month instead of
every month.
JOINT COUNCIL/COMMISSION WORKSHOP ON JANUARY 14, 1996
Mr. Hollister asked the Parks Commission to advise Staff as to the content of the agenda
for the joint CounciUCommission workshop scheduled for January 14, 1996. Mr.
Hollister then grabbed the dry erase marker to write down the Commission's suggestions
on the dry erase white board.
The Commissioners asked that the following parameters be placed upon the workshop:
1. The workshop should be limited to two hours in length.
2. No more than 20 minutes should be spent on each agenda item in order to keep the
pace moving.
3. Chairman Spicer should chair the meeting.
2
Chairman Spicer also asked what time the Council intended to arrive at the meeting.
Mr. Hollister said that the Council had announced that they would arrive at 7:30, their
customary meeting time for Council meetings.
Chairman Spicer requested that Staff as the Council if they would at least come at 7:00
so that the meeting would not go so late into the night.
Ivlr. Hollister said that he would pass on that request, but that he anticipated that the
Council would continue with their current plan to arrive at 7:30.
Chairman Spicer then directed Staff to schedule the Parks and Recreation Commissioners
to meet for a half-hour before the Council's arrival to discuss some issues.
The Commissioners then arrived at the following list of items to be discussed at the Joint
Workshop, in descending order of importance (beginning with the most important):
1. The Purpose and Role of the Parks and Recreation Commission
• The Purpose of the Special Parks Fund
• Control over the Special Parks Fund
• The Possibility of the Parks Commission Meeting Less Frequently
2. Open Space Preservation
3. A Full -Time Recreation Programmer
• Future Programming Expectations
• Cooperative Recreation Programs with Other Organizations
• Cross -Country Ski Trails
4. Meeting Increasing Demand for Ballfields
• Creating New Ballfields
• Joint Arrangements with Other Cities, the School District, etc.
• Lights at Mendakota Ballfield Complex
5. Expansion of the Trail System
6. Staff Workload and the Priority of Parks Projects
The Commission
also asked
that a
packet of information be prepared by Staff and
provided to each
participantin
the
workshop, including:
• the remaining balance of the Special Park Fund
• how much of the Special Park Fund will be needed for North Kensington Park
• the remaining balance of the Referendum
• when the Referendum will be paid in full
• a packet of maps indicating significant remaining vacant parcels of land
• other information
The Commission also requested that the Parks and Recreation Commission, or at least a
representative thereof, be invited to the Joint Workshop between the Planning
Commission and the Council to discuss the future of the vacated MnDOT right-of-way
east of Mendota Plaza on both sides of Highway 110.
UPDATES
Staff then provided updates on the following items:
NORTH KENSINGTON PARK
Mr. Hollister provided a memo to the Commission from Guy Kullander on the status of
North Kensington Park. The memo indicated that Special Park Funds would be necessary
for the improvements to the park.
Chairman Spicer said that the assumption atl along had been that the Special Park Fund
would help pay for the improvements at North Kensington Park,
PARK RESERVATION POLICY REVISION
Mr. Hollister informed the Commission that the Council had asked how Staff would verify
whether or not a resident who reserved a park shelter had actually used the shelter before
the City would refund the deposit for the shelter.
Chairman Spicer told Mr. Hollister that the Parks Commission assumes that Mendota
Heights residents are honest, and that therefore the refunds would operate on the honor
system unless the City had received a complaint from another resident that a shelter had
not actually been used when it was reserved.
RECREATION PROGRAM�R POSITION
Mr. Hollister informed the Commission that the Council had not opted to restore a fizll-
time Recreation Programmer to the 199'7 City Budget at the Truth and Taxation hearing
and that all indications were that the Council would ratify the Budget at S:OOpm on
Wednesday, December 11 without the full-time position.
The Commission expressed regret at the Council's decision.
PARKS REPORT
There were on comments on this item.
0
POLICE REPORT
There were no comments on this item.
The Commission asked for Staff to provide updates on the following items at the next
Parks and Recreation meeting:
• progress on putting maps in the City parks
• progress on Cross Country Ski Trail talks with Par 3
• progress on Ivy Falls Park
ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn made by Kleinglass and seconded by Damberg.
AYES:
NAYS:
The meeting adjourned at 7:30 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Patrick C. Hollister