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2012-11-13 Parks and Rec Comm Minutes CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA PARKS AND RECREATION MEETING November 13, 2012 The November meeting of the Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at Mendota Heights City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve. Chair Levine called to order the parks and recreation commission meeting at 6:32 p.m. The following commissioners were present: Chair Stephanie Levine, Commissioners Mary McGrory- Ussett, Ira Kipp, Joel Paper, David Miller, Mike Toth and Pat Hinderscheid. Staff present: Recreation Programmer Teresa Gangelhoff Assistant to the City Administrator Jake Sedlacek. Approval of the Agenda COMMISSIONER PAPER MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA; COMMISSIONER MILLER SECONDED THE MOTION. AYES 7: NAYS 0 Approval of Minutes of October 9, 2012 COMMISSIONER HINDERSCHEID MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 9, 2012 MEETING; COMMISSIONER MILLER SECONDED THE MOTION. AYES 7: NAYS 0 Recreation Programmer Update Recreation Programmer Teresa Gangelhoff mentioned that registrations are full for gymnastics and learn to skate programs. Interested residents should call city hall to be placed on a wait list. The city is still accepting applications for part-time seasonal rink attendant positions. Applicants must be 16 years of age, and should be available for the entire ice skating season. School flyers will go out in December; Heights Highlights newsletter will go out in January. Mendota Heights Athletic Association Update The City of Mendota Heights relies on youth athletic associations to provide athletic activities for area youth, as do most communities in the area. Representatives from the Mendota Heights Athletic Association (MHAA) were in attendance to provide an update on programs, to provide input on parks facility needs and to answer questions the commissioners may have. Joe Juliette spoke on behalf of MHAA baseball, which serves 400 youth through their in-house and travelling teams. Mr. Juliette complimented the conditions of the city’s fields, and informed the commission that MHAA has additional field needs for travelling baseball teams, specifically MH Parks and Recreation Commission 11-13-2012 Page 1 for the 12 year old baseball team. Currently, city facilities are shared by MHAA baseball, St. Thomas Baseball and St. Joseph’s Baseball teams, as well as MHAA and Convent of the Visitation Softball. While the schedule usually works out, it is always a very tight fit. Use of the varsity baseball field at Henry Sibley High School was discussed. There is an agreement in place for joint use of the facility, which is currently used by four different groups throughout the year. Mr. Juliette reported that the school district is working with MHAA to create a space for the 15 year old team. City staff, MHAA and ISD 197 staff have been reviewing the agreement for shared use, which does not take into account all of the school facilities which are currently shared with youth athletic associations. Mr. Juliette mentioned that lights at Mendakota Park would be another way to accommodate all of the youth, as well as adult baseball/softball needs. Commissioners asked for clarification on the percentage of residents served by MHAA baseball. Mr. Juliette explained that West St. Paul does not have a travelling baseball program, which resulted in more youth from that community in the baseball program than some other sports. Mike Gilberg spoke on behalf of MHAA softball, which schedules most games and practices on ISD 197 fields, but does also utilize some City of Mendota Heights fields. 38% of softball participants are Mendota Heights residents, reflecting the fact that West St. Paul has no softball program. Mr. Gilberg responded to questions from the commission regarding Hagstrom-King field, which was modified by MHAA mid-season for exclusive use for baseball. Mr. Gilberg noted that the changes had a greater impact on Visitation softball teams, but the city was able to accommodate the change. Mr. Gilberg supported the return of Hagstrom-King to a multi-use facility and supported revisiting the concept of lights at Mendakota Park to provide more opportunities for field users. Victoria Highlands could be explored as a baseball-only field, freeing up other facilities for shared use. Paul Berg spoke on behalf of MHAA football, which recently wrapped up another successful season. The football program served just over 200 youth this year, utilizing school district fields for tackle programs, and Mendakota Park for flag football programs. Late season adult softball tournaments can create some field use conflicts in the late summer/early fall, but these can usually be ironed out. MHAA football is almost completely utilized by Mendota Heights residents, as West St. Paul has its own program. The commission had several general comments for MHAA – they were very pleased with the reports provided. The commission expressed their hope that the leadership of the association will attend a commission meeting in the future, to provide reports on attendance, finances, training and the like. The commission would like to see the report which had been included in the agenda packet updated at the year end. The commission asked staff to follow up on rough estimates to convert the field at Victoria Highlands Park for baseball use, and to revisit the idea of lighting one or more fields at Mendakota Park. MH Parks and Recreation Commission 11-13-2012 Page 2 Par 3 Update Mr. Sedlacek reported that expenditure and revenue numbers through the end of October, 2012 were not available, but it looks like the course will end the year with revenues just slightly ahead of expenditures. The course is closed for the year; the course has been winterized, including irrigation and equipment. Clubhouse Manager Jennifer Zweber has been providing program write-ups to utilize for the 2013 season and has reviewed/revised the policy and procedures manual for the clubhouse. Each adult league intends to return for next year, and the golf league for seniors on Friday mornings will be continued in 2013. New program opportunities include birthday parties, corporate outings and youth golf clubs for each school. Mr. Sedlacek reported the results of an informal survey conducted of recreation program attendees over the previous three years. While feedback was generally positive, the decline in program participation needs to be addressed. The survey, while non-scientific, does provide useful insight into opportunities to improve programs. Ms. Zweber presented her observations on the past season to the city council at a work session on October 30, 2012. The city council was pleased with the report, and expressed support for dedicating staff time to developing and marketing programs at the Par 3. Mr. Sedlacek felt the course is in a good position programmatically, and that staff expects the course to do better than break even in the future. The commission provided input for reporting on the 2012 season, and asked staff to consider programing at the golf course outside of the regular golf season. Staff will present our standard report in December, and hopes to have a matrix of current and planned offerings for 2013 as requested by commission McGrory-Ussett. Parks Maintenance Update Mr. Sedlacek shared the current list of maintenance items which had been identified by Parks and Recreation Commissioners in visits to the parks and suggested that the commission may wish to provide priorities to those items. Related to parks maintenance, the commission had requested safety inspections of playgrounds. Staff has identified one qualified contractor to conduct such inspections in the metropolitan area. The cost for a safety inspection by this contractor is $1,000 per playground. Mr. Sedlacek reported that as an alternative, staff recommends utilizing a playground safety checklist provided by the League of Minnesota Cities to inspect all parks with internal staff. The commission held a discussion on the parks maintenance, including how work is prioritized and what level of involvement the commission should have in that process. Mr. Sedlacek expressed concern regarding the scope of the project, reminding the commission that the original concept was to have commissioners create a list of additional project for maintenance staff to MH Parks and Recreation Commission 11-13-2012 Page 3 complete in spare time. Mr. Sedlacek assured the commission that safety issues are addressed immediately. Mr. Sedlacek offered to invite our parks maintenance lead to a meeting in January or February to provide the commission with a summary of park maintenance activities. Commission Comments The commission expressed gratitude for having representatives from Mendota Heights Athletic Association at the meeting. Commissioner Hinderscheid asked about tree loss on city property due to the recent storm. Mr. Sedlacek reported that Ivy Hills Park had a handful of trees removed. Commissioner Toth asked if concern about the lilacs at the corner of Wagon Wheel Trail and Lexington Avenue had been shared with Dakota County. Mr. Sedlacek confirmed that city engineering staff had relayed the concern to Dakota County. Commissioner Miller asked for an update on the paving of the north end of Valley Park Trail. Mr. Sedlacek reported that Xcel Energy has articulated their intent to have the trail repaved before asphalt plants closed for the year. Chair Levine asked that the trail gap on Dodd Road be kept a priority for completion. Adjourn COMMISSIONER HINDERSCHEID MADE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE MEETING; COMMISSIONER TOTH SECONDED THE MOTION. AYES 7: NAYS 0 The meeting adjourned at 8:21 p.m. Respectfully Submitted by Jake Sedlacek MH Parks and Recreation Commission 11-13-2012 Page 4