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2022-03-08 Parks and Rec Comm MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS, DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PARKS AND RECREATION MEETING MARCH 8, 2022 The March meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, at Mendota Heights City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve. 1. Call to Order – Chair Bob Klepperich called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. 2. Roll Call – The following Commissioners were present: Chair Bob Klepperich, Commissioners: Jaffrey Blanks, Patrick Cotter, Stephanie Meyer, Michelle Muller, and Amy Smith; absent: Commissioner Dan Sherer and Student Representative Niko Hess. Staff present: Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence and Assistant City Administrator Kelly Torkelson. 3. Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 4. Approval of Agenda Motion Meyer/second Blanks to approve the agenda AYES 6: NAYS 0 5.a Approval of Minutes from February 8, 2022 Regular Meeting Motion Cotter/second Smith to approve the minutes of the February 8, 2022 Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting. AYES 6: NAYS 0 6. Citizen Comment Period (for items not on the agenda) None. 7. Acknowledgement of Reports Chair Klepperich read the titles of the three updates (Par 3, Recreation, and Park Improvement Updates) and polled the Commissioners for questions. 7.a Par 3 Update Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence stated that the City is still looking for employees for the upcoming season, noting that all information is available on the website and at City Hall. She stated that staff is preparing for the upcoming golf season; preparing equipment and training staff. She stated that the course opening will be weather-dependent. She stated that the annual report for Parks and Recreation and the Par 3 will be presented to the Commission at its next meeting. She provided details on the adult/youth scramble which will be held on Saturday, April 9th at 9 a.m. Commissioner Meyer asked if the Commission is still interested in hosting something for the opening of the Par 3. Ms. Lawrence stated that planning staff did not believe the Planning Commission would be interested. She asked how many of the Commission members golf that would be interested. She noted that April would be a busy month with other City events but stated that staff could attempt to plan if there is interest. Commissioner Cotter commented that there does not seem to be much interest. Commissioner Muller noted that members of the Commission could participate in the scramble in April if desired. 7.b Recreation Update Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence provided the schedule for Tour de Rec. She stated that summer recreational programing has opened and some programs are already filled. She highlighted summer recreation programing, field trips, and other events. Commissioner Smith asked the number of participants allowed in the different sports camps. Ms. Lawrence replied that it would depend on the camp, ranging from ten to 20 children. Commissioner Smith asked how temperature readings are done, noting differences between Friendly Hills and Marie Park. Ms. Lawrence provided details on the process, noting that some of the numbers may be altered due to when staff was at that location. She noted that there were staffing issues at some of the warming houses therefore readings were not always taken during the different times of the day. Commissioner Cotter commented that it is amazing how fast recreational programming fills and believed that it was great to have these offerings in Mendota Heights. He appreciated the partnerships with other communities and encouraged staff to pursue additional opportunities. He asked if there was interest in the pickleball programming. Ms. Lawrence confirmed that there was interest in the pickleball programing, although it is not yet full. She noted that it’s a program run by the City, therefore if it fills, additional opportunities could be added. Chair Klepperich asked if there would be a mailer with the recreational programming. Ms. Lawrence stated that the City chose a postcard option to advertise recreation registration and the full information is available on the City website. 7.c Parks Improvement Update Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence provided an update on the Wentworth warming house project, dugout and fence work project, dog park, Mendakota dugouts, ribbon cutting for Friendly Hills pickleball courts, and mound request for Victoria Highlands notification for neighbors. She stated that the City Council considered the lighting request for the Friendly Hills pickleball courts, noting that the Council did not approve the request and directed staff to look further into park lighting. She noted that staff met with the frequent park users in January in preparation for permit submission. Chair Klepperich stated that he drove by Civic Center Park and noticed people taking measurements where dugouts would go, noting that perhaps more bids would be received for the project. Commissioner Cotter asked how long bidding would be open for the warming house project. Ms. Lawrence was unsure but noted that bid opening would occur on March 30th and bids would be brought to the Council on April 5th. Commissioner Cotter stated that there has been a lot of discussion regarding the user groups and asked if there was resolution for the request for earlier permitting for tournaments. Ms. Lawrence stated that the Council adopted the fee schedule and users can petition the Council for a fee reduction if desired. She stated that user groups will be required to go through solid waste and recycling training through the City. She noted that they were unable to find resolution on the tournament deadline. She stated that the City changed the date for tournament permit submission to accommodate MHAA, but applications were not submitted on the date the City Council agreed to. She stated that staff is continuing to address issues with MHAA. Commissioner Cotter asked if he understood correctly that the City changed the submission date for tournament permitting as requested by MHAA, but then MHAA did not submit permit requests on that date. Ms. Lawrence stated that MHAA did not submit the permitting request on the earliest date it could have and instead submitted a week or so after. She noted that staff still worked within the 21-day review period to review the requests. She stated that tournament dates were permitted within that review window. She stated that the conflict arose from City reservation of the facility on a date which MHAA requested, noting that the City receives priority for its own facilities. Commissioner Cotter stated that perhaps MHAA is invited to the June Commission meeting in order to discuss fall sports. He commented that it would be nice to have an open line of communication with MHAA at least twice per year. Chair Klepperich stated that he would enjoy meeting some of the other user groups similar to the communication the Commission has had with MHAA baseball. Ms. Lawrence agreed that it would be helpful to hear from MHAA as a whole rather than just one sport/segment. Commissioner Muller recognized that City sponsored events, such as the Touch a Truck event, takes a lot of planning and takes priority over requests from other users. Ms. Lawrence confirmed that the City does take priority and alerted user groups of that date in December in attempt to avoid conflict. She stated that the City has chosen not to host other events at that location in order to allow other users groups to use the facility. Motion Meyer/second Blanks to acknowledge the staff reports. AYES 6: NAYS 0 8. New Business 8.a City Publications Survey Assistant City Administrator Kelly Torkelson stated that the City completed a resident survey using an online survey tool to gain input on the City’s publications. She reviewed the results of the survey and how staff used that information in attempt to have the best communication with residents. Chair Klepperich stated that when speaking to a resident today, the resident was not aware the Mendota Magazine is not a City publication. Commissioner Meyer noted that she has received similar questions as to whether the City creates that publication. She stated that perhaps the invitation for the Mayor to comment within the magazine causes confusion. She noted that perhaps the magazine could make it clearer that the Mayor is speaking as an invited guest. Chair Klepperich thanked staff for the excellent job in providing this information. Commissioner Meyer recognized that residents are interested in road projects and asked if staff has thoughts about how to better inform residents. Ms. Torkelson stated that residents can be directed to City staff and noted that information is also available on the City website. She stated that the City newsletter will also feature spaces for communication of the top interests identified through the survey including road projects. 8.b Community Engagement Outreach Groups Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence stated that in the past the Commission has expressed interest in community engagement and holding listening sessions in the community related to parks and recreation. She stated that community engagement is important as it helps to drive recreational programing and ensure that people are happy with the projects in the parks. She commented that Commissioners Smith and Meyer have volunteered to assist staff on this topic and have provided a list of user groups in the community. She stated that the Commission should determine what it would like to gain from this process, specifically the questions it would like asked to ensure the information provided through the engagement is purposeful. She reviewed the list of user groups developed thus far. Commissioner Meyer commented that there are different ways to look at community engagement, noting that she sees it as a way to do community organization, promote the visibility of the Commission, spread information about parks and recreation, and gathering feedback. She stated that this will also be a way to identify leaders in the community and people that would be passionate about a project. Commissioner Smith echoed the comments of Commissioner Meyer. She stated that getting these groups together will help to identify programing gaps and additional programing ideas. She stated that there could also be more points of contact for upcoming community events to increase participation. Chair Klepperich stated that originally, he thought the list was long but now understands the purpose. He stated that he does have concerns that some of the hot topics will continue to come through (splash pad, dedicated pickleball courts, senior center) and wanted to see other topics discussed as well. He stated that perhaps an online survey could be done along with this project to provide another dimension. He volunteered to meet with the Foundation. Commissioner Cotter asked if the Foundation should be invited to join a Park Commission member in meeting with these various groups. He noted that it would provide an opportunity for the group to become more visible and network in the community. He stated that if people want senior centers and splashpads, there needs to be support from the community as a whole. He noted that the Commission is being tasked with a vision for the short and long term and therefore this input will be important. He noted that identifying financial mechanisms will be important for park projects. Chair Klepperich asked how the Commission would like to move forward on this. He believed that they should ask the community to identify both short term and long term wants and needs. Commissioner Blanks stated that he would like the group to identify what they want out of this process in order to determine if this is the right list of groups. He noted that will also help the group develop the related document. He stated that he would love to participate in meeting with the groups. Ms. Lawrence commented that three members of the Commission can attend a meeting without triggering an open meeting. She stated that in the past this has been done in pairs and believed there is value in having two members. She confirmed that three Commission members could be on a subcommittee. Commissioner Meyer believed that the goal is to provide visibility of the Commission, inform the public of offerings and opportunities, to come back with common themes and interests, and to identify leaders in the community. She stated that she would like to keep the last question and second to last question but believed the playground-related questions could be replaced with items that were discussed during the strategic planning process. Commissioner Blanks appreciated that input. He noted that perhaps some specific questions would be developed for some users, such as MHAA. Commissioner Muller commented that she does not believe the general community is aware of the parks replacement schedule. She stated that this could be an opportunity to educate the public on budgeting, how decisions are made, and why a splashpad has not been a feasible option for the community. She stated that input was received from previous meetings that identified the wants and therefore believed that the ideas from Commissioner Meyer would be a good focus. Commissioner Cotter noted that last time the attempt was to gather information while the purpose of these meetings would be to educate the public on what has been done and what is being done. He agreed that it would be helpful to identify leaders. He stated that in addition to developing questions to be answered, it will be important to develop a list of things the Commission would like to communicate to the public. Ms. Lawrence challenged the Commission to think about how this process can help to fill in the gaps that were identified in the strategic planning process for the parks. She provided an example of senior programing and what programs that group would be interested in. She challenged the group to think about what they can get from people in terms of the recreation opportunities they would like to see in the community. She explained that there are more funds budgeted for programing and therefore it would be helpful to gain input on programing concepts for different age groups such as teens and seniors. She stated that there are some user groups that have made their voices loud and clear and noted that there are others that have not been addressed. She stated that Night to Unite could also be used for the members of the Commission to gain input from their own neighborhoods. Commissioner Cotter stated that it sounds like there is a need to identify programming ideas and wants and perhaps that should be the focus rather than facility wants. Ms. Lawrence stated that one of her goals for the year is to discuss recreational programing more and receive input from the Commission on that topic. Commissioner Meyer stated that it would be helpful to split up the user groups and by the next meeting, have a contact person identified for each group and knowledge of the availability of the group. The members of the Commission volunteered to reach out to different user groups on the list. Commissioners Meyer, Muller and Smith volunteered to work on the informational sheet with questions for the Commission to review at its next meeting. 9. Unfinished Business 9.a Frozen Fun Fest Recap Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence stated that the City hosted the first Frozen Fun Fest in February and recapped the events that took place. She noted that portions of the weekend were successful and other portions were not successful. She stated that the weather played a factor. She welcomed input from the Commission on the event as staff begins to think about the event for next year. Commissioner Meyer stated that the ice sculpture carving was great in concept, but it was hard to get a good turnout because of the weather. She asked if the cost was worth the planning and setup. She asked whether it would make sense to combine that with the food truck portion. Ms. Lawrence stated that she did not have the costs present and noted that the vendor took care of setup. She believed it was a reasonable cost but noted that could be a multi-day event and could also be located in Market Square to bring customers to the local businesses. Commissioner Meyer noted that perhaps that could be combined with the snow sculptures. She stated that the food trucks are a great idea but believe the window of time of 2 to 5 p.m. was a tough time as it is not a mealtime. She stated that if that window is going to be used, perhaps the offerings are more treat/snack related. She noted that families seemed a bit confused about the snow sculpture event. Ms. Lawrence commented that there was not snow to sculpt with as it was not wet snow, so that element was scratched. Commissioner Meyer noted that perhaps that event does not move forward because it is so weather dependent. She suggested a vendor market with crafts for sale. Commissioner Smith suggested a snowshoe shuffle which could be a timed event but was unsure how many people have snowshoes. She noted that perhaps the City could partner with REI to provide snowshoes. She stated that she liked the community hike as it introduced her to residents she has not typically met. She stated that the outdoor concert and food truck were great offerings, noting that people were out searching for the medallion. She believed the medallion and color contest should stay as those were popular. She stated that perhaps the weather deterred people from participating in the kickball tournament. Commissioner Meyer suggested incorporating local talent to bring out more members of the community, such as a school choir or band. She noted that is fun for the kids, but it also draws family that would come to watch. Commissioner Smith stated that instruments may be tricky in the winter temperatures. Ms. Lawrence stated that staff struggled to find food trucks that operate in the winter as was finding a band. Commissioner Muller asked if there was a reason that date was chosen, as it aligned with the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. Ms. Lawrence noted that date was chosen based on availability of staff and a short planning window. She stated that staff will be able to do a better job in planning as this event moves forward. She recognized that the weather will always be a factor as you cannot predict that. Commissioner Muller asked if the City could have food trucks that serve alcohol. Ms. Lawrence replied that the City requires all food trucks to have a Mendota Heights license and one requirement is that alcohol is not allowed. She commented that the City would have to have a beer garden, with wristbands and service only in a fenced in area. Commissioner Muller asked if music in Market Square park could be included as that would allow people to go to the different restaurants. Ms. Lawrence commented that staff could look into that. Commissioner Muller commented that it was a fun event. She agreed that the medallion was a hit. She noted that perhaps boot hockey is offered rather than kickball as that would utilize the rinks. She stated that the nice thing about music at Mendakota is that there were a lot of families on the playground. Chair Klepperich stated that there is ample parking at Mendakota compared to Market Square. Commissioner Meyer commented that staff did an excellent job developing the clues for the medallion. 9.b Park and Recreation Strategic Planning Update Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence reviewed the monthly strategic planning update with the Commission. 10. Staff Announcements Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence shared the following announcements: • The City is attempting to fill seasonal staffing positions for the Par 3 and recreational programs • Other events can be found on the city’s website 11. Student Representative Update None. 12. Commission Comments and Park Updates Commissioner Smith • The improvements at the dog park with the brush clearing provides better sightlines to the street parking • Friendly Hills hockey rink was well used during the cooler temperatures Commissioner Cotter • The Commission has come a long way since its strategic planning • Wentworth Park has had use of its ice rink during the cooler temperatures and looks forward to the updates for the warming house Commissioner Blanks • April 7th Tour de Rec will be held at Mendakota • Noticed young kids playing basketball at Valley Park on a court that had been cleared of snow • Encouraged residents to clean up after their dogs Commissioner Muller • Kensington has been quiet • People have shoveled the skateboard ramps at Rogers Lake for use • Congratulated Ms. Lawrence on the new position Commissioner Meyer • Marie Park had fantastic activity with the ice skating • Thanks to City staff for their hard work on recreational opportunities and new flyers • Congrats to Ms. Lawrence on her position Chair Klepperich • Visited Victoria Highlands and Ivy Hills and did not notice much activity but the trails were nicely plowed • The next meeting will be Tuesday, April 12th at 6:30 p.m. • Thanked staff for their participation tonight 13. Adjourn Motion Blanks/Second Meyer to adjourn the meeting at 8:26 PM AYES 6: NAYS 0 Minutes drafted by: Amanda Staple TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.