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021412 Park Mtg Agenda Packet CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB RD PARK COMMISSION MEETING SHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012 7:00 P.M. AGENDA 1.CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING A.Roll Call Quinlan____ Robb____ Edmondson____ Swaggert____ Kjolhaug____ Hartmann____ Gordon____ B.Review Agenda 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission Meeting Minutes of January 10, 2012 (Att.-#2A) 3.MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR 4.PRESENTATION BY EAGLE SCOUT NICK HOSTETTER 5. DETERMINE LIAISON FOR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS FOR MARCH, APRIL AND MAY – (Att.-#5) 6. DISCUSS BADGER PARK PRIORITY SETTING – (Att.-#6) 7. DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND RINK POLICY – (Att.-#7) 8. REVIEW AND RECOMMEND PURCHASE OF PICNIC TABLES – (Att.-#8) 9. NEW BUSINESS 10. STAFF AND LIAISON REPORTS/UPDATES (Staff reports and updates are not meant for discussion. Discussion items will be listed as part of new or old business.) A. City Council B.Staff C.Grant Report 11. ADJOURN Liaison for City Council Meeting on February 27- Swaggert #2A CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB RD PARK COMMISSION MEETING SHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2012 7:00 P.M. MINUTES 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING Chair Quinlan convened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. A. Roll Call Present: Chair Quinlan; Commissioners, Swaggert, Kjolhaug, Hartmann, Robb and Gordon; Administrator Heck; Public Works Director Brown; City Council liaison Woodruff; Absent: Commissioner Edmondson B. Review Agenda Robb moved, Kjolhaug seconded, approving the Agenda as presented. Motion passed 6/0. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission Meeting Minutes of December 13, 2011 Gordon moved, Robb seconded, approving the Minutes of December 13, 2011, as submitted. Motion passed 6/0. 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR Shorewood resident, Mary Dvorak inquired about the proposed policy for the rinks. She stated that some cities do have rinks and doesn’t want the city to stop flooding the rinks. She was wondering why the city does not flood at night. Brown explained that the city does not have a night crew and would have to pay overtime to flood at night. The only guideline the city follows is for cold weather from other communities. Robb asked if Public Works was flooding the rinks currently. Brown stated that they just started to generate ice two days ago. Quinlan stated that this item is on the agenda and would be further discussed. 4. ORGANIZATIONAL BUSINESS A. Election of Officers Heck indicated that council would like to open the two seats on the Park Commission to the public and the two Park Commissioners with expiring terms. Edmondson asked that election of officers take place after appointments. Election of officers will take place at the March meeting. B. Approve Meeting Calendar Heck outlined the planning calendar to show what will be forthcoming for future meetings for everyone. He also stated that the City Council would like to hold the joint Park Commission meeting on February 28. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2012 PAGE 2 OF 5 5. DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND ICE RINK POLICY Quinlan is hoping that this is mute point as cold weather is supposed to be approaching. Quinlan asked if there is a current policy in place. Heck stated that there is no official policy in place for warm/cold weather and when to stop flooding. There has not been a situation like this for many years where the weather is warmer than normal. Other alternatives to consider are does it make sense to utilize overtime to flood the rinks. Rinks usually close around February 14 for the season. A guideline/policy would help residents and staff in making decisions as to when to close due to weather and flooding of the rinks. Heck said that staff would go over a policy and bring back to the commission for review at their February meeting. Robb asked if we do get colder weather would we be able to still make ice. Brown stated that if we get cold weather we can make good ice at Cathcart and Badger hockey rinks. Swaggert moved, Gordon seconded, to keep attempting to make ice where possible and to direct staff to prepare and develop a draft policy and bring back to the commission at the February 14 meeting. Motion passed. Kjolhaug asked about Manor Park and how that is flooded. Brown explained that they use the tanker truck and use a brush to clear. Hartmann asked if there was a way to notify the public about which rinks are operating. Brown said that staff could put an update on the city website. Woodruff suggested giving staff direction as to when to stop making ice. Swaggert wanted to leave this to staffs discretion as part of the motion for this year and look further at a policy in February. Quinlan asked if there is a criterion for closing rinks. Brown explained that temperatures play a part in determining conditions of the ice (how soft it is, standing water); it comes down to a judgment call. 6. DISCUSS PRIORITY SETTING FOR BADGER PARK Heck outlined the priority process to the commissioners. After reviewing, the top four items that the Park Commission would like to keep or see are: Tennis Courts Restrooms Football Field Picnic Shelter The items that the commission would really want are: Community Green Space Parking Lot Improvements Non-paved Trail Lighted Tennis Courts Improvement to the Entrance Basketball Court Free skating, lighted hockey rink, warming house, pond or water feature, lighted basketball court, art or sculptures, paved trail and community gardens were rated as not as important. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2012 PAGE 3 OF 5 Heck explained that the next step that the commission needs to take is to go through the items where there is consensus. Once there is a consensus, then work on putting those items into the CIP in some form. It was determined there needs to be a design element and where would these items be placed in the park. But the first step is to gain consensus on how the commission sees the park. Robb mentioned there is a variance in opinion on some of the items so there needs to be a discussion. Quinlan mentioned that costs should be considered. Does the Park Commission look at possible redesigning the park and determine what should be considered at the park and should consider the cost. Gordon asked if the report from the EPA was available and should be considered. Brown explained that 16 years ago there was monitoring of the parking lot, dairy queen site and gas station. East of the gas station there is a concrete pad, that pad was to cap the contaminates. MPC and EPA stated that the site was passable and discontinued the monitoring. Discussion ensued on the top four priority items. Picnic Shelters: There is an interest in a picnic shelter. Heck asked the commission to define a picnic shelter. Commissioner Swaggert stated he envisioned something like the structure at Manor Park – a building with a canopy. Commission Robb stated his idea is more like the canopy structure located at Silverwood. Commissioner Quinlan concurred with Robb, noting that a warming house type building is lower on the ranking. It was stated that a Hockey rink is low on the list as is a free skating area, if there isn’t skating, is there a need for a building. Heck stated that this is the purpose of the process – to come to consensus and understanding on what everyone’s view is. The Commission consensus is that in discussing the picnic shelter, it is one similar to the structure at Silverwood Park. Football field – Heck asked the Commission if they ranked the football field higher because there is a need for a football field in Shorewood or is it because it is already at the park? Commissioner Gordon stated because it was there and she considers it open green space. Commission Kjolhaug stated the field is generally used for boy’s football ages 8-12 for two months out of the year that is why he provided a lower priority. Heck and Brown stated the La Cross club uses the field and ultimate Frisbee pick-up games are played there. Hartman asked if there was a capacity for this type of field at Freeman or if it could be used for soccer. Brown explained that soccer, football, ultimate Frisbee, and lacrosse use Badger field. Hartmann asked if there had been any requests to use the football fields. Brown explained that the sports organizations try to operate their spaces separately. So when the fields are scheduled for the sports organizations resting of the fields is considered. Hartmann asked if the football field is used during the day. Occasionally there is usage but it is the evening that the field is used the most. Heck asked if it was reasonable to refer to the Football fields as “Multi-use, green space.” The Commissioners agreed with that terminology. Restrooms: Heck stated this is on interesting item. Restrooms are rated high by the group, however, a warming house is low on the needs list. Heck asked what the Commissions idea of restrooms is. Hartmann asked if there is a lot of maintenance to the restrooms. Brown explained that restrooms are maintained every day. Hartmann thought if there is not going to be skating, then there would not be a need for a warming house. Robb also mentioned that there is the community center. He wondered if the restrooms at the center could be used. Brown stated there may be conflicts when there are events at the PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2012 PAGE 4 OF 5 center. Woodruff stated that the center is not always open in the evening and have different hours of operation. Swaggert indicated that his vision is a restroom structure with a canopy attached, that the restrooms be tied in with the picnic shelter in some way. The consensus of the commission is to consider the restrooms in conjunction with the picnic shelter. Un-lighted Tennis Courts: Heck stated this is the last item landing in the ‘1’ rating. He asked that Commission Swaggert provide his view for his rating. Swaggert indicated that tennis is an individual sport, not a community type activity. He sees the cost of maintaining the courts as high, a lot of unused tennis courts in the area, and value in community. Quinlan sees the courts used a lot and when he uses them, he has to wait. Robb stated he can see Commissioner Swagger’s point of view, but he also stated that tennis is a sport a wide age group of people can play compared to soccer or football. It needs to be determined if this is the right court to support and which courts get used most out of our park system. Heck indicated the city supports tennis courts in three parks, and asked if this is the right number of courts. Are these parks the best location for courts or is there a better alternative. Heck stated these are all issues the commission needs to work out during this process. Heck stated the next phase is to determine how the tennis courts tie in with all the amenities and to decide if the city has a need for three tennis courts. The commission will need to look at the whole park system and consider all park amenities and what is unique of Badger Park. It will be determined what you would like the park to look like. There was discussion on the TKDA plan. Woodruff mentioned that he was liaison during this process and that there was a lot of discussion as to the amenities needed in the parks. The community gardens were a new concept at that time and were added to most of the park plans. There wasn't this type of analysis done for each park. This was a visioning exercise that leads to this step that commission is working on. At this point Heck will document some of the information and the commission should look over the park questions on the community survey. See what the resident’s perception is of parks. This will tie in at the next meeting and review the top four and discuss the next four items. Heck will send out the list along with a summary of what was discussed. It was asked if additional meetings will be needed for this project and how the commission is going to move forward at the next meeting. The next meeting the Park Commission will start with looking at a vision for Badger Park, and review the citizen’s survey. Heck will include the citizen survey in the next park packet. The Park Commission is invited to attend the City Council work session on Februaru 13 as the consultant will be presenting the survey results. Heck asked if this process was helpful. Consensus was that it is. The commission thanked Heck for putting this together. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2012 PAGE 5 OF 5 7. NEW BUSINESS Quinlan mentioned that there is another Eagle Scout looking for a project. Quinlan asked that the commission think about possible projects for the summer for this Eagle Scout. The Eagle Scout will be attending the next Park Commission meeting. 8. STAFF AND LIAISON REPORTS/UPDATES A. City Council Woodruff provided an update on the City Council meeting of January 9, 2012. B. Staff 1. Joint City Council Meeting Date Heck reported that the joint meeting with the City Council will be February 28 at 6:00 p.m. 2. Winter Activity Report Heck reported that Three Rivers will attempt to do snow shoeing in February; otherwise all winter . activities have been cancelled He also updated the Park Commission on the activities that will be taking place at Arctic Fever. 3. Summer Activity Update A written report was provided. 4. Strategic Planning Other items that staff is working on is:  Looking at a grant for buckthorn removal at Freeman Park.  Tree City USA program looking at a $25,000 grant to reforest certain areas of the city. Recommendation is to make the Park Commission the city tree board. 9. ADJOURN Swaggert moved, Kjolhaug seconded, adjourning the meeting at 9:10 p.m. Motion passed 6/0. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Brian Heck Recorder Twila Grout Administrative Assistant CITY OF SHOREWOOD  5755 Country Club Road Shorewood, Minnesota 55331 952-474-3236  Fax: 952-474-0128 www.ci.shorewood.mn.us cityhall@ci.shorewood.mn.us To: Park Commission From: Twila Grout – Administrative Assistant Date: February 1, 2012 Re: Determine Liaison for City Council Meetings for March, April and May Listed below are the dates of the City Council meetings for March, April and May. City Council Meetings: thth March 12 - Will be reporting on Park Commission meeting of February 28. thth March 26 – Will be reporting on the Park Commission meeting of March 13. rdth April 23 - Will be reporting on Park Commission meeting of April 10. thth May 14 - Will be reporting on Park Commission meeting of May 8. Once the commission has determined who will be the liaison to the above meetings, a schedule will be made and distributed to the Park Commission. #5 CITY OF SHOREWOOD MEMORANDUM TO: Park Commission FROM: Brian Heck, City Administrator CC: Mayor and Council DATE: January 11, 2012 SUBJECT: Badger Park Planning / Park System Planning The Commission is off to a good start in working through the planning and prioritization for Badger Park. The exercise conducted at the 10 January meeting generated some great questions and identified how decisions made for this park will impact other parks in the system. The commission will need to consider the impacts and linkages with regard to the entire system as this process evolves. What follows is a brief summary of some of the key discussion points from last night, outline for the next couple of meetings, and the results of the priority ranking exercise. The top four items the commission identified were:  Picnic Shelter  Football Field – Lighted  Restrooms  Tennis Court – Unlighted The commission started by defining the picnic shelter. The first thought was a structure similar to the facility at Manor Park – a small building with a canopy. After some discussion, the commission came to consensus that in this case, the structure this refers to is a standalone canopy type structure similar to what is at Silverwood Park. The commission did recognize that the final outcome might be a structure similar to what is at Manor or Freeman Park. Regarding the football field, some commissioners rated this amenity high because it already existed and some indicated that this area could also serve the purpose of open green space. One concern raised dealt with the designation as a “football” field. The feeling was that a football field is only used a couple months a year and only by a small group of kids. The consensus of the commission is to refer to this area as a multiuse green space. Restrooms received the same rating as the football field. The commission consensus for this item is to incorporate it with the picnic shelter in some manner. Tennis Courts rounded out the top four items and generated most of the discussion. The commission talked about the general cost to construct and maintain a tennis court in terms of the number of people who can use the courts. The commission also recognized that tennis is a lifetime sport and appeals to a wide age group. The commission consensus is that tennis courts are a desired amenity, the real question comes down to how many and where. The discussion on tennis courts brought up the issue of a complete and integrated park system long range strategic plan. Next Steps 1. The park commission will need to develop a. A vision statement for Badger Park – How do you see Badger Park? What is unique about the Park? b. A vision statement for the park system as a whole. How do you see the entire park system? What is the purpose for the park system? 2. Continue to identify the key amenities Badger Park should host. 3. Begin to lay out the plan for Badger Park – what goes where and the proposed timeline. 4. Staff will develop estimated costs. 5. Expand the planning process to include the entire park system and create a comprehensive long range strategic plan for the parks. Following the Joint Meeting with the Council, the park commission will meet and to develop the Badger Park vision statement. If time allows, the commission may begin to consider a park system wide vision statement. Please review the resident survey and be prepared to discuss with the commission what you believe Badger Park should be – who should it cater to, what is its purpose, etc. The table on the next page shows the ranking of each commissioner and the average rating. The rankings go from most needed to least needed. City of Shorewood BADGER PARK PRIORITZATION Rank each amenity on a 1-5 scale with 1 being must have and 5 not needed. Feel free to add more amenities as you see fit. Bob Susan Mark Linda Tom Steve Nick Average Amenity 3 1.4 Picnic Shelter 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1.6 Football field - lighted 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1.6 Restrooms 1 3 1 1 2 2 Tennis Courts non-5 1.9 1 1 3 1 1 1 lighted Community Green 2 2.4 1 5 1 5 1 2 space feature Parking 3 2.5 3 3 1 2 3 Improvements Non-paved walking 2 2.6 3 3 3 3 2 2 trail 3 2.6 Playground - tot's 3 3 1 2 3 3 5 2.7 Tennis Courts Lighted 1 2 4 2 3 2 Park enterance 2.8 1 4 4 2 3 improvement Baskeball courts non-4 2.9 2 3 2 2 3 4 lighted 2 3.0 Free Skating- lighted 3 4 2 3 4 3 3 3.1 Playgound - older 5 3 1 2 5 3 2 3.3 Hockey rink lighted 5 1 3 3 5 4 2 3.4 Pond/water feature 2 5 5 3.5 4 2 2 3.4 Warming House 5 2 2 5 5 3 hockey rink non-2 3.6 5 3 4 2 5 4 lighted 4 3.6 Fountian Feature 1 5 4 4 4 3 Baskeball courts 4 3.9 5 3 3 3 5 4 lighted 4 Art/Sculpture 5 4 4 4 3 5 4.3 Paved walking trail 4 5 2 5 5 4 4 4.7 Gardens - community 5 4 5 5 5 5 CITY OF SHOREWOOD  5755 Country Club Road Shorewood, Minnesota 55331 952-960-7900  Fax: 952-474-0128 www.ci.shorewood.mn.us cityhall@ci.shorewood.mn.us To: Park Commission From: Twila Grout – Recreation Coordinator Brian Heck - City Administrator Date: February 1, 2012 Re: Agenda Item 7 – Ice Rink Policy At the January 10 Park Commission meeting the commissioners discussed the possibility of having an outdoor skating rinks and warming house policy. After reviewing and discussing the alternatives, the Park Commission asked staff to develop a draft policy and bring back to the next park commission meeting for review. Attached you will find a draft copy of the policy for your review and discussion. Staff Recommendation: Upon review and discussion, staff recommends that the Park Commission support Outdoor Skating Rinks and Warming House Policy, and send the item onto City Council for their approval. #7 City of Shorewood’s Outdoor Skating Rinks and Warming House Policies Purpose The purpose of this policy is to ensure safe conditions for all park patrons and that City facilities are used appropriately. To achieve this, the City of Shorewood has set in place the following policy for the use of the City’s outdoor skating rinks and warming house facilities. Rink Flooding Public works staff will begin flooding rinks when there have been seven (7) or more consecutive days with temperatures below freezing. If warm weather does not permit Public Works to establish the rinks until after January 16, warming houses will not be open. Staff will continue to maintain rinks until February 15 or as weather permits. If the weather conditions do not permit the development of rinks by January 23, the skating rinks and warming houses will be closed for the season. Rink/Warming House Opening and Closing Weather permitting rinks / warming houses, will open approximately the week of Christmas and close on approximately February 15. Should conditions permit, facilities may remain open through the end of February. Warming houses and rinks will close when the air temperature drops to -10 degrees or the wind chill falls below -15. Warming houses and rinks will also close when the surface of the ice is too soft or there is standing water on the rinks. Rinks and warming houses will also remain closed if, on the weekend, there is an accumulation of snow of one (1) or more inches or when public works staff is not available to clear the rinks. CITY OF SHOREWOOD  5755 Country Club Road Shorewood, Minnesota 55331 952-960-7900  Fax: 952-474-0128 www.ci.shorewood.mn.us cityhall@ci.shorewood.mn.us To: Park Commission From: Twila Grout – Recreation Coordinator Date: February 9 2012 Re: Picnic Tables In 2010 the Park Commission directed staff to collect quotes for the purchase of picnic tables to replace/supplement the current aging inventory of tables in the parks over the next several years. Within the 2012 CIP, the Commission allocated $14,000 to purchase additional tables. Staff contacted Midwest Playscapes, the manufacturer who provided the tables the last two years, and asked for a new quote and also received a quote from Minnesota/Wisconsin Playground. Similar to the quantity estimated last year, Midwest Playscapes provided the City of Shorewood with the same style picnic tables(6’ rectangular picnic tables, features 2 3/8” OD, powder coated frame perforated steel top(not expanded metal)) as the last two years, 11 tables, including freight and sales tax for $7,917.30. Minnesota/Wisconsin Playground provided a quote for 11 tables from two different vendors. The first company specs are: 6’ picnic table, 2 attached 6’ Seats, rounded corners, ¾” #9 expanded metal, 2 3/8” legs. The second company specs are: 6’ picnic table, 2 attached 9 1/2"seats, 3/4 “ #9 expanded metal. The quote is the same for these two vendors $6,705.33. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Upon review and discussion, the Park Commission will need to determine which quote they would like to go with and recommend to the City Council to award the purchase of the picnic tables. #8