Loading...
1994-01-11 Parks and Rec Comm Agenda Packet (2)1. 2. 3. 4. 5. G �7 CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA AGENDA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION JANUARY 11, 199;'q- 6:30 P.M. ** 6:30 o'clock p.m. ** Call to Order. Roll Call. Approval of November 9, 1993 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes. Discussion of Dakota County Trails * Bob Doffing, Dakota County Park's Commissioner * Consideration of Letter of Support for North Urban Trail Concept Capital Improvement Planning for Park System Review and Discussion of: Friendly Hills Park Friendly Marsh Park Civic Center Ballfield Valley View Heights Kensington Park Friendly Hills Tot Lot Copperfield Ponds Sibley Park Hagstrom King Park Review of Concept Plans - North Kensington Park * Guy Kullander, Parks Project Manager Pond Quality - Adoption of Water Resources Education Plan Verbal Updates * Arndt Addtion Trail - Council's Decision * Ice Rink Report/Skating Lessons Program * Baseball at Mendakota Park * Donation to Special Park Fund 9. Adjourn. Auxiliary aids for disabled persona are available upon request at least 120 hours is advance. If a notice of less than 120 hours is received, the City of Mendota Heights will make every attempt to provide the aids, however, this may not 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 NOVEMBER 9, 199 q The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, November 9, 199.3; 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: Damberg, Katz, Kleinglass, Linnell, Norton, Libra and Spicer. Also present were Administrative Assistant Kevin Batchelder, Parks Project Manager Guy Kullander and Recreation Programmer Shelli Morgan, APPROVAL OF MINIITES Commissioner Damberg moved to approve the October 12, 1993 Minutes. Commissioner Linnell seconded the motion. AYES: NAYS: COMMISSION COMMSNTS Commissioner Damberg inquired about an article in the South- west Review dated November 7, 1993 about the proposal to upgrade the Friendly Hills streets. Commissioner Damberg stated that the article stated "the reconstruction would be funded from park land assessments and assessments to single family lots and municipal state aid funds." Damberg inquired if money from the special park fund would be used to pay park land assessments for the Friendly Hills street project. Parks Project Manager Kullander responded that the City Council makes the decision on where the money comes from for assessments to park land in Mendota Heights. Kullander stated that other funding sources that exist are the MSA money and the City Infrastructure Fund money. Kullander stated the City was required to assess park land when it is in a project district. Commissioner Linnell inquired if there will be a trail included in the Friendly Hills street project along Decorah Avenue. Kullander stated that early plans had shown a trail in the public right-of-way along Decorah Avenue, however the residents of the neighborhood are not clamoring for a trail with this street project. Kullander stated the street project has not yet been approved by the City Council. Parks and Recreation Commission November 9, 1993 Page 3 6. Regulatory signage for park and trails. 7. Painting stripes on the hard court in 1995. 8. Port a Potty shelters. ADA upgrades to play equipment. 10. Clearing the brush out turf to water, along the each and establishing 11. Remove five old benches. 12. Reroofing the picnic shelter. 13. Resurfacing the tennis court. 14. Seal coating of the trails. Kullander explained that brushing out along the trail was a difficult project for the park crews because of the time and the equipment necessary to do this job. Kullander suggested it might be a possibility to contract a firm to clear the brush along the trails or that possibly this could be done as a community work service project. The Parks Commission discussed the possibility of getting a wood chipper to help ease the work of removing brush that has been cleared. Commissioner Damberg inquired if it would be worth the City buying a chipper. Batchelder stated that he felt there is a possibility the City could borrow a wood chipper from a neighboring community. Damberg inquired if there is a lot horseshoe play in Roger's Lake Park. Recreation Programmer Morgan responded that she has had a number of calls to rent horseshoes by people who are using Roger's Lake Park. Kullander stated the City has one nice horseshoe pit and that it is located in Roger's Lake Park. He stated that horseshoe pits can be added for cheaper costs than demonstrated on the list depending upon the level of quality the City wants. Kullander described the West St. Paul horseshoe complex. Kullander stated that when you have just one horseshoe pit it tends to be a token. He stated that if you put two or three horseshoe pits together they tend to get used more often. Kullander explained that the wooden bridge currently in Roger's Lake Park is rising and heaving with the frost every season and because it is not level with the trail it does not meet American with Disabilities Act standards. Parks and Recreation Commission November 9, 1993 Page 5 Sports lighting for five play fields. 2. Expanded irrigation system. 3. Maintenance building if lights are installed. 4, Concrete bases for benches and trashers. 5. Resurface the basketball court with paint markings. 6. Re -stripe the parking lot. 7. Any additional landscaping. 8. Seal coat old trails. 9. Adopt backstops (or netting) for baseball/hardball. 10. Convert the grass volleyball area to sand court with borders. Kullander stated the sport lighting estimate is based on Barton-Aschman•s estimate at the time of the referendum and the design of Mendakota Park. Kullander stated that Barton. Aschman had estimated $150,000 to provide lights for the fields at Mendakota Park. Kullander stated that his estimate is on the high side but includes all poles and lights, lines and transformers, and restoration that would be needed to complete this project. Kullander stated it also includes the lighting of the youth soccer field. Kullander stated that installing lights at Mendakota Park would f cheaper than building new fields if the City reaches the point where demand is greater than field supply. Administrative Assistant Batchelder stated that at the time the referendum items were put together lighting had been considered for the softball complex. Batchelder stated a City Councilmember had wanted to include lights in the plans for Mendakota Park so that everyone would be aware that ballfield lights were a possibility. Commissioner Spicer stated the lights were always anticipated as a future use at this park. He stated that during the referendum there was never any opposition to the community park having lights for the ballfields. Spicer stated that at the time of the referendum it was anticipated that the softball field complex would have lights when it was built. Spicer stated no other fields in the City are lighted. Parks and Recreation Commission November 9, 1993 Page 7 rejected due to the high level of maintenance and the fact that this netting would have to be attached to the comfort station. Kullander stated the comfort station was not designed to accommodate guy wires as an attachment. Commissioner Spicer stated that both the Cities of Eagan and Edina had provided this type of netting for their pinwheel field designs to keep foul balls from injuring spectators. Spicer stated he feels that this type of netting was not incredibly expensive and certainly provided a level of safety. Spicer stated it should be a priority for the City to provide this type of netting in order to accommodate youth baseball at Mendakota Park, Commissioner Norton inquired if baseball could be played on other fields. Commissioner Spicer stated that Mendakota Park was ideal for weekend tournaments, that it was the best facility in Mendota Heights and that the baseball parents desired to be able to use these facilities. Commissioner Linnell stated he feels that any irrigation extension at Mendakota Park should be kept to a minimum and that a little brown grass in the park is not the end of the world. NORTS KBNSINGTON PARK Commissioner Spicer inquired how much money was left in the referendum. Batchelder stated he has not received a full accounting on the referendum funds but it is his understanding that there is less than $100,000 left in the referendum funds. Batchelder stated there are probably more earmarked items remaining than there was money left in the referendum fund. Commissioner Spicer inquired if the Parks Commission should continue talking about the design and construction of North Kensington Park if there is not enough referendum money to construct it. Kullander stated that priorities could be established for the remaining referendum funding and the remaining projects and there are other funds such as the special park fund that could be used to construct this project. Kullander stated this park could be constructed in phases over a number of years. Rullander stated the rest room and storage rooms provided by U.S. West in the fiber optics building were put in with the acknowledgment that there would be some future active use at this park. Kullander stated vandalism has occurred at this Parks and Recreation Commission November 9, 1993 Page 9 VERBAL IIPDATES Batchelder stated that the City Council had approved both recommendations from last month's Park and Recreation Commission meeting - the Ivy Park warming house hours and the Parks Reservation Policy. Batchelder explained, in response to an inquiry, that the Marie Park boulevard had not been mowed earlier in the summer due to a tractor breakdown that will be fixed this winter. He stated that the City had contracted the work and that the boulevard had been maintained and mowed. Batchelder stated that the request to revise the bicycle/pedestrian trail in the Arndt Addition had been forwarded to the Planning Commission who would hear the request on November 23, 1993. Batchelder stated that staff had explored the option of converting the Ivy Park free skating to broomball but that the cost appeared high to place boards for this purpose. Batchelder stated that he had attended a seminar on Americans With Disabilities Act sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Employee Relations and had submitted a question regarding the updating of all the city play equipment apparatus. MnDOER will be providing written answers to all the questions submitted. Batchelder stated it appeared that the City does not have to update every individual component of the play system, but that we have an obligation to review the whole system, evaluate options for upgrading it and provide a level of access to meet our obligations. A transition plan would be necessary for those play structures not immediately updated. Commissioner Libra stated that Ivy Park could use some more picnic tables and that he had received a request for this. Commissioner Libra inquired if the City could receive copies of other city's mission statements for parka and park systems as we begin exploring Park Vision/Philosophy on the target issue list. There being no further business, the Parks and Recreation Commission adjourned at 8:10 o'clock p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kevin Batchelder Administrative Assistant