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051104 PK AgPCITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD PARK COMMISSION MEETING CITY HALL TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2004 7:30 P.M. AGENDA 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING A. Roll Call Arnst Davis Gilbertson Meyer Youn Farniok Westerlund B. Review Agenda 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission Meeting Minutes of April 27, 2004(Att. -#2A Draft Summary) ,B. Park Commission Work Session Meeting Minutes of April 27, 2004 (Att. #2B Draft Summary) 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR . 4. REPORTS A. Report on City Council Meeting of May 10, 2004 B. Report on Concessionaire Operations 5. DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND MUSIC IN THE PARK GROUPS TO CITY COUNCIL 6. PARK ACTIVITY MAPPING 7. NEW BUSINESS Council Liaison: May 24: Young 8. ADJOURNMENT June 14: Farniok & Meyer CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD PARK COMMISSION MEETING CITY HALL TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2004 7:00 P.M. • MINUTES h 'i A 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING u Ka 1. r Chair Arnst called the meeting to order at 7:08 P.M. A. Roll Call Present: Chair Arnst; Commissioners Young, Davis, Gilbertson, and Westerlund. City Engineer Brown; Technician Bailey Absent: Commissioners Meyer and Farniok, and City Council liaison Lizee B. Review Agenda Davis moved, Gilbertson seconded, to approve the Agenda as submitted. Motion passed 5/0. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission Meeting Minutes of April 13, 2004 Davis moved, Young seconded, Approving the Park Commission Meeting Minutes of April 13, 2004. Motion passed 5/0. 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR Kate Bix, of the Shorewood Park Foundation, extended an invitation to members of the Park Commission to attend the Foundation Breakfast Fundraiser to be held May 25, 2004, from 7:00 a.m. — 8:30 a.m. She also invited the Commission to join her in supporting youth `diamond' sports at a home game Monday, May 3' 2004 at 4:30 p.m. 4. DISCUSS REQUEST FROM LACROSSE On behalf of Tom Mauer and the Minnetonka Lacrosse Association, Sue Hall, 15 Highland Avenue, explained that the West Metro Lacrosse Coalition Group is looking for additional fields. As one of the fastest growing youth sports, Hall indicated that the Lacrosse coalition would like to request the use of Badger Park from June 1- August 10, Monday - Thursday evenings from 6 -9 P.M. and some additional time for weekend practices. Chair Amst stated that parking would need to be addressed and confirmed with the Senior Center to ensure an effective system. Brown explained that one major obstacle stands in the way of Lacrosse at Badger Park this season. While he would like to see Lacrosse be given the opportunity, Brown stated that the • dilemma is that the fields have been seeded for the third time after successive failures. He indicated that turf management is a priority this spring and public works could not support use of the fields until late July. Gilbertson expressed his disappointment in the fact that Lacrosse could not utilize the facility this year. *�?X_ PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2004 PAGE 2 OF 5 . Young asked if alternate space was available. Brown indicated that, since Freeman Park facilities have been scheduled for the season, he did not have any suggestions. Chair Arnst apologized to Ms. Hall, commenting that the Commission was excited about the opportunity to host this fast growing sport. She encouraged Lacrosse to contact the City next year. Hall stated that she would report back to Mr. Mauer that the field will be unavailable this year. 5. REPORTS A. Report on City Council Meeting of April 26, 2004 Brown reported that Hennepin County Commissioner Linda Koblick gave a presentation about "what the County can do for you." Tom Skramstad gave an LMCD update, and Tad Shaw, of MCES, explained that a recent audit of their services had come back with unfavorable results which MCES is trying to work through. Brown continued, stating that the Excelsior Chamber made their annual request for the fourth of July • fireworks donation from the City, to which the City committed $2,200. With regard to the County Road 19 intersection progress, Brown stated that, since the recent newspaper article in which it was outlined that not as much progress will be made this year as originally expected, the City met with Jim Grube who hopes to have the project back on track. Young questioned what was holding up progress on the intersection. He expressed his disappointment that new obstacles will delay the project yet another year. Brown stated that several key parcels have not turned over their right -of -way yet, including the strip mall owner. He pointed out the importance of obtaining the right -of -way and relocating water, gas, fiber optic, and electric lines prior to ripping up sections of the roadway going into winter months. He, too, indicated that the City believed the project had been given the green light, only to learn otherwise. B. Update on Water Garden Brown distributed a portion of the WSB draft project report for the Freeman Park Wetland Enhancement and Interpretive Center Project for review. He explained that the draft report will lay substantial groundwork to be able to apply for grants under many various headings. While most grants require matching funds, Brown stated that the City would like to present its case to the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD), since they often have funds available to do projects • like this. Chair Arnst asked what the timeframe would be. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2004 PAGE 3 OF 5 • Brown indicated that no time line had been established and suggested that key people, such as the Mayor, be brought in to contact the MCWD. He acknowledged that additional minor tweaks were necessary to complete the report. Westerlund asked what percentage of funding the City was searching for. Brown stated that little was available for matching grants and he believed that the Commission should sit down with the Council to determine if additional dollars are available to do this. Westerlund asked if this project would be completed this year or in phases over several years. Chair Arnst stated that the project was intended to be complete by 2005 in several phases. She asked if staff could finish polishing up the report and present it to the Commission in June. Westerlund suggested that the City contact MnDOT, since they are continually looking for places to build wetlands, earn points, and mitigate the work that they do elsewhere. She indicated that she would provide staff with a contact at MDOT. Westerlund also complimented staff on a very nice proposal and mentioned that the DNR might be someone interested in supporting the kiosks or educational element of the proposal. Gilbertson suggested the Commission share this report with the Foundation and encourage them to • raise dollars at their breakfast for this endeavor. C. Update on Concession operator solicitations Brown reported that he had met with Mr. Qualle, the potential concessionaire, and he is very enthusiastic at proceeding. Brown stated that he had introduced Qualle to several vendor suppliers for the concessions and Mr. Qualle indicated that he would like to take the purchasing and marketing upon himself. In addition, Qualle stated that he would be willing to give the City a guaranteed flat fee, for instance $1,500, up front rather than tracking the City's cut throughout the season. Brown stated that this offer seemed very interesting, adding that the operator would like to bring in additional product. He asked the Commission for their feedback. Davis believed that the question is truly how much business the concessions will have this year. She felt the business was catching on and would expect a greater return year 2. Chair Arnst asked if the concessions would be up and running May lsc Brown stated that May l' was unlikely, since there is not contract in hand as of yet. Gilbertson acknowledged that the City is not in the business of running a concessions, he believed • that the service itself is what matters, as they stated last year. He urged the Commission to support getting someone in the concessions selling product and not stand in the way of their making money this year. He encouraged staff to negotiate a contract this year, see how the business performs, and renegotiate the contract next year. Gilbertson felt the Commission should not attempt to over manage the concessions operation. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2004 PAGE 4 OF 5 • Westerlund pointed out that it also costs the City, in terms of a staff person, purchasing product and overseeing operations. Davis encouraged staff to ascertain how much more business, in terms of dollars, should be generated year two, with additional hours of operation, and ask the vendor for a higher flat fee. Westerlund suggested staff play with some estimates based on rough calculations of costs, income, and hours, to determine a fee to present to Mr. Qualle. D. Update on the Legal Opinion Requested at the March 9, 2004 Meeting Brown reported that under the opinion supplied by Larkin Hoffman, Council has the right to appoint members to serve on the Foundation; whereas, the Commission is set by City Charter. 6. DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND MUSIC IN THE PARK GROUPS TO CITY COUNCIL Chair Arnst reported that 5 groups had submitted music for consideration. Of the five, Secretary Grout is following up with two of the groups to determine their availability and fees. While progress is not being made as quickly as she'd liked, Chair Arnst indicated that solicitations would continue. Westerlund asked whether the City was having difficulty obtaining responses from music groups, and • if so, she could contact representatives from the Victory neighborhood, who hold a successful series, to obtain the names of additional musicians. Chair Arnst encouraged her to make the contacts as soon as possible and provide the information to Secretary Grout for follow -up. Gilbertson suggested that the new concession operator remain open for the music in the park series. Brown stated that it was Mr. Qualle's intent to be open for all events. 7. SKATE PARK REPAIRS AND IMPROVEMENTS A. Develop a Plan for Action Brown reported that the grind rail on the half pipe had been replaced and he was investigating ways in which to shim the surface. He stated that public works staff would likely build a new heavier fun box for the park. Brown also noted that staff was working on ideas for additions that he would report back on in June. 8. NEW BUSINESS • Gilbertson suggested that the Commission give consideration to alternative locations for Lacrosse to hold their practices, as well as, examine potential park space for future use. Chair Arnst recommended they consider this during their park planning discussions. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2004 PAGE 5 OF 5 Chair Arnst mentioned that TUSA had lined 9 smaller fields at Freeman Park and pointed out • that two of these were positioned too close to the softball field #6 and might pose a safety hazard for those players. Also, she noted that TUSA had placed a vinyl sign with their logo on the fence of field 6, which must be removed. Kristi Anderson, of Community Rec Resources (CRR), gave a brief recap of the 2004 First Quarter Report submitted by CRR. She mentioned that much of the first quarter was spent securing documentation, finalizing schedules, and communicating with the sports organization representatives. Anderson pointed out that document retrieval, user fee collection, and rosters have proved the most challenging aspect of the quarter. While most of the collection occurred at the sports information meeting held in December of 2003, one organization has posed a unique challenge to the entire process. To date, adult softball has not yet received their final schedule, since they have failed to provide the City with their total user fees and roster. Ongoing and frequent contact is being made with this organization and they've been made aware that the expectation is that they will follow the proper process in 2005. Anderson reported that other unique requests have come from individual East Tonka Little League Teams, Lacrosse, and the Spring Hill Waldorf School. Though not an athletic association, she explained that the Waldorf School has requested to use Manor Park on Wednesday evenings, for a number of families to use the park, its field, shelter, and amenities. Since this group doesn't entirely fit the Priority policy classification system, she asked the Commission how they wished to view this request. She indicated that City staff is of the opinion that the organization simply use the facilities without reservation, or they schedule their field use • and the paperwork that accompanies it. Anderson pointed out that the group of citizens does not have a certificate of insurance, since they are not a recognized organization, and would therefore, simply be able to provide their own individual proof of insurance. The Commission urged CRR to invite the School to use the Manor facilities as an unscheduled activity, in order to avoid the need for rosters, fees, facility use agreement, and memorandum agreement. Westerlund added that, as a neighbor to Manor Park, she wished to report that many people in the area make use of the tennis courts and volleyball pits. Chair Arnst reminded the Commission that they will meet at 5:50 P.M. on May 11` 2004, at City Hall to car pool over to Freeman Park for a brief tour, with a regular meeting to follow at 7:30 P.M. 9. ADJOURNMENT Westerlund moved, Young seconded, adjourning the Regular Park Commission Meeting of April 27, 2004, to Work Session at 8:54 P.M. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Kristi B. Anderson • Recording Secretary CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD PARK COMMISSION WORK SESSION CITY HALL TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2004 IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING REGULAR MEETING • mom MINUTES s o p %a n-, 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION WORK SESSION MEETING Chair Arnst convened the work session meeting at 8:54 P.M. A. Roll Call Present: Chair Arnst; Commissioners Young, Davis, Gilbertson, and Westerlund. City Engineer Brown; Technician Bailey Absent: Commissioners Meyer and Farniok, and City Council liaison Lizee B. Review Agenda 2. PARK ACTIVITY MAPPING Next Step Defining Open Space Brown asked the Commission to give consideration to the four definitions of open space identified in the previous work session, which included undeveloped land, undevelopable land, • unstructured park space, and natural space. In addition, he asked how the Commission felt the definitions helped the City to manage the parks. Westerlund pointed out that, in her opinion, there was unnecessary overlap between undevelopable land and natural space. She asked if open space could be identified as more than one type of open space, especially if the Commission's goal was to ensure no net loss of open space. She also questioned what the difference was between unstructured and undeveloped land. Brown clarified, stating that undeveloped land could be developed at some point, while unstructured land is the green turf space between active spaces or other turf areas that people can enjoy. Chair Amst suggested that the term `habitat' be added to the natural space definition. Westerlund suggested that natural habitat and vegetation be distinct from formal gardens. The Commission further defined several of the open space terms as follows: Undeveloped Land: Areas that have not been developed, but have the capability of being used. Natural Space: Areas comprised of wetlands, wetland buffers, meadows, and steep slopes that would be very difficult to develop and contain significant mature vegetation throughout the area that adds • significant aesthetic and/or environmental value to the area in terms of habitat, stormwater management, and biodiversity. Unstructured Park Space: Areas that consist primarily of open turf space, gardens and planting areas that require some maintenance. PARK COMMISSION AGENDA TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2003 PAGE 2 OF 2 • Brown asked what purpose the definitions would serve, for instance, natural space should not be developed, undeveloped space could entertain requests for change, etc. Westerlund pointed out that, as stewards of the natural resources of the City, the Commission should be able to convert turf areas to natural space, and lose some areas in exchange for gains in other areas. Chair Arnst maintained that there are, generally, three tiers of activity at Freeman, the hardware which accompanies the sports groups, the turf open space for families to fly a kite, and another area for people to meander through water gardens, forests, etc. Gilbertson suggested that the City continue by inventorying what and how much it has in these particular spaces. He felt that once an accurate inventory of what exists at the park currently is completed, the City will be able to track or graph over time changes in the mapping. Chair Amst agreed that the next step should be determining an accurate inventory of how much of what exists in each of the parks. Brown asked what purpose it would serve to determine the percentages of each type of open space that exists. Chair Arnst felt that the Commission would be better equipped to evaluate a request and have latitude in making changes as long as they are mitigated elsewhere within the park. • For reference, Brown clarified that undeveloped land are lands that could be developed as long as the net remained; whereas, the Commission is making a hard and fast statement that the natural spaces are areas that they do not wished to be changed. Westerlund stated that, regardless of what is done with the categories, an inventory makes a great deal of sense by allowing the Commission to identify where potential development opportunities are versus the natural areas that they wish to preserve. In addition, Westerlund felt that the inventory would be useful in prioritizing or properly managing what is worth preserving, for instance if a high quality natural area is identified in the inventory they may wish to protect it. Chair Arnst mentioned the City's comp plan in regard to `buffers', as something that would also fit into natural area delineations. Brown asked if the Commission wished to define `buffer' areas, which might be useful when identifying activity zones. He indicated that he would use the Planning Commission terms for `buffer zones' and present ideas to the Commission at an upcoming meeting. Chair Amst asked when the next update would occur. Brown asked for latitude, since he wished to use the aerial photos from the WSB report in the inventory process. He stated that he would give the Commission an idea at their next meeting what direction this initiative would be taking, acknowledging that an inventory would be a time • consuming task. 3. DISCUSSION ON SENIOR CITIZEN INTERRACTION PARK COMMISSION AGENDA TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2003 PAGE 3 OF 2 Based on review of the master plan in the last work session, Chair Arnst asked the Commission • how they wished to proceed in fulfilling their commitment to seniors, as a population inadequately served by the community's parks. Westerlund suggested that the Commission gather information from users of the South Shore Senior Center by interviewing them why they are or are not using the parks. She suggested they attempt to gather other information and ideas as well, such as, what they'd like to see in the parks. Young suggested members of the Park Commission attend and interview members of the senior center during one of their breakfasts and use these individuals as a focus group of sorts. Westerlund commented that she believed the seniors would appreciate being given the opportunity to share their opinion. Chair Artist stated that they would pursue this option in mid to late May and report back. 4. ADJOURNMENT The Park Commission Work Session Meeting of April 27, 2004 adjourned at 9:38 P.M. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, • Kristi B. Anderson Recording Secretary