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052599 PK MINCITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD PARK COMMISSION MEETING COUNCIL CHAMBERS TUESDAY, MAY 25, 1999 8:00 P.M. MINUTES 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING Co -chair Arnst called the meeting to order at 8:30. A. Roll call Present: Co- chairs, Dallman and Arnst; Commissioners Puzak and Themig; Administrator Jim Hurm; City Engineer Larry Brown; Council Liaison Zerby Absent: Commissioners Colopoulos and Bensman; B. Review agenda City Engineer Brown asked to add Matters From The Floor to review pets in parks. It will be discussed after item #3. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission /City Council Joint Minutes of May 11, 1999 One correction was made. Page 5, paragraph 6, line 1: Change "Arts" to: Arnst Dallman moved, Puzak seconded to approve the minutes with the noted revision. Motion passed 4/0. B. Park Commission Minutes of May 11, 1999 Themig moved, Dallman seconded to approve the minutes. Motion passed 4/0. 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR City Engineer Brown stated that Charlie Davis from Public Works asked Engineer Brown if he would talk with the Park Commission regarding eliminating pets from the parks. People are ignoring the ordinance on dog feces and it is really bad at Freeman Park. He stated that there are a lot of dog feces around in the parks and especially in the play area. This is unsanitary with kids around. Park Commission Meeting May 25, 1999 Page 2 Commissioner Themig stated that he was surprised that there was no leash requirement, and thought maybe this should be considered. Engineer Brown said that what people do is take their dogs in the ballfield area and block the gate opening with the trash barrel and let the dog run and they don't pick up after the animal. There are people out at Freeman every morning and Charlie has talked with them about how they are not abiding by the rules. Brown asked if requiring our Police Officers to go out and enforce the ordinance is practical? Commissioner Themig suggested additional signage around the parks as an interim step. Commissioner Puzak felt that first we should have the officers enforce the ordinances. Commissioner Arnst felt that a couple tickets might affect them. Commissioner Themig suggested having a leash ordinance solely in park areas. Commissioner Arnst stated that when people let their dogs run they are not going to go and pick up after their dog, but if the dog was right there with their owner they would more than likely pick up after the dog. Commissioner Puzak suggested that Charlie call the police. Commissioner Themig said to let the dog owners know this has come before the Park Commission and if you don't start picking up after your pet the next step is dogs will not be allowed in the parks. Commissioner Arnst asked that it be very clear wording so that people get the point. Consensus was to have the police work with Charlie and put a few more signs out. Engineer Brown will report back to the Park Commission in a month. 4. DISCUSSION OF PARK TOURS Cathcart Park: • Needs weed cutting • Three trees need to come down • Magic Square — Going to surface it and Engineer Brown will come up with ideas and bring back to the Park Commission • Basketball hoops need to be replaced • Move the sign along Church Road — Similar to Freeman Park, incorporate garden with a boulder on right side of parking lot • Remove metal slide Crescent Beach: • Add sign (joint with Tonka Bay) • Screening around satellite Park Commission Meeting May 25, 1999 Page 3 Badger Park: • Resurface tennis court • Straighten gate into tennis court • Picnic table • Remove evergreen • Bleachers (CIP item) • Painting garbage cans — It was suggested that maybe Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts could paint. Council member Zerby's daughter was going to check with her leader to see if they could paint the cans and let the Park Commission know. Freeman Park Items are listed below (Discussion of Freeman Park Issues). 5. DISCUSSION OF FREEMAN PARK ISSUES North Parking lot — Multi - Purpose Building — Engineer Brown stated that he is at a stand still with the project. He needs direction as how to proceed. Do we want to try and get a revision, modifications? Puzak asked what was in the Capital Improvement amount. Administrator Hurm stated that this was on the agenda for the next meeting; $60,000 for the building, $40,000 for the sewer, plus $10,000 from the foundation. Commissioner Dallman stated that for this amount you might get the concession part and roof with no bathrooms. Commissioner Puzak suggested going to council and say this is what you get and we need help or we say this is where we will start and add on to it in the future. We need to start someplace. Administrator Hurm explained that you could go to the council and do that through the revision of the Capital Improvement Program. If you can show a good financial plan take it to council. Additional revenues are building up. Instead of $1,000 now we will be getting $1,500 for every lot. This will be an additional $25,000 coming in here over the next 5 years in projections. Administrator Hurm will put something together for the Park Commission to look at in the Capital Improvement Program which may show a temporary deficit to be covered by the General Fund. Commissioner Dallman was wondering if we could go with a concession stand and the picnic shelter and let the Park Foundation go after the bathrooms. Puzaks feelings are bathrooms are driving this as an amenity. In order to build a bathroom you need a heated building because of the plumbing and that gets you closer to a warming house and the rest can be changed. Commissioner Themig questioned if we should not look Park Commission Meeting May 25, 1999 Page 4 at a warming house yet, and add the walls at a later time. We could do the bathrooms and picnic shelter. But then we need the concessions. Puzak feels that the concession is the only way we will get out of the revenue deficit. We are going to have to go into the building. Commissioner Dallman suggested that they put up the concession and have the Park Foundation do fundraising for the bathrooms. Administrator Hurm asked the Park Commission if they are still viewing this as an amenity to the park now that it is more than double the cost or is it too costly? Commissioner Arnst's feelings are that it is an amenity to the whole city. Commissioner Arnst asked now that we have a base line to work with ($195,000) maybe we could get some creative ideas within the next six weeks without cutting out the bathrooms and the concession area. Engineer Brown stated that he will go to Chaska Building Center and see why it is so expensive. Commissioner Themig also feels that bathrooms in the park are more than an amenity to the park he feels they are a requirement with the use of the park and activities that are there. He stated the least amount of support is in the concession part of the building because he doesn't feel you can bring in a lot of revenue doing that. He suggested building the bathrooms and picnic shelter next to it. Commissioner Puzak agreed that the bathrooms are the immediate need. He does feel since you have the running water and sewer the concession stand is not that much more work and it is a source of revenue. Council Member Zerby suggested that the Park Commission come up with more than one plan and bring it to City Council It was decided to have Engineer Brown come back with some plans. • There was discussion regarding how nice the parks look and that some type of appreciation should be shown to Charlie from Public Works for his hard work on making the parks look beautiful. It was decided that the Park Commission would get a card and present it to Charlie and the crew. • Picnic Shelter — No changes • Proposed batting cage — Engineer Brown is working with Gordy Lindstrom. • Viewed where the decks of the closest unit of Shorewood Ponds will come. There was discussion as to the dust from the parking lots, and how this will impact the new development. If the parking lot is blacktop there will need to be a pond. Commissioner Themig suggested to proceed on looking at the parking to the north and south, what would it take to pave and if it is gravel how do we reduce the dust. Are there any opportunities? Would Osha's be willing to give us their backyard for a pond? The immediate thing is the road. We need to look at the big picture, put some money in the budget. Commissioner Themig's concern is traffic flow from the southside. If you shut the road off now there is no natural turn around, no traffic flow, Park Commission Meeting May 25, 1999 Page 5 because people park everywhere. If you close the road there is no place for them to turn around. Engineer Brown confirmed that the road could be closed with the development and investigate as to what might be done as to minimizing the dust and making adequate use of the land, and to see what is necessary as far as a pond. Themig moved that the Park Commission recommend to Council to proceed with designing for the closure of the road along field #2 at Freeman Park and explore the options for addressing traffic flow and parking on the south side and north side of the road closure. Puzak seconded. There was further discussion: Commissioner Puzak asked if Eaglecrest Development is building units and depending on existing parking lot to become a free full circle cul -de -sac that is an encroachment and the use of that arc is an encroachment into the park. On game days it may become impractical to turn around in the parking lot. On tournament days there will be parking problems. Engineer Brown stated that he sees no difference than the North parking lot. Commissioner Puzak stated that he was trying to express his concern that there is inadequate parking now. Motion passed 3/1. Dallman opposed. • Safety Netting — Still waiting on the easement documents signed by the residents. The purpose of this is: 1. Permission to put up the poles and netting and 2. Is a waiver of insurance liability for them? Administrator Hurm is still waiting for the signatures. • Engineer Brown is working with Gordy Lindstrom on the placement of batting cages, signs and relocation of storage shed. • Scoreboard — Commissioner Dallman expressed that it should be out in left field. Engineer Brown agrees and has talked to Gordy about this. • Netting — There will be some tree trimming necessary to install the netting. Commissioner Dallman mentioned that he met with Gordy Lindstrom regarding where the netting would be. Gordy Lindstrom said that the netting would go far south next to walkway in Shorewood Oaks. Administrator Hurm stated that he plan was that they were going to meet out there with the neighbors and work it out with them. Commissioner Arnst asked Administrator Hurm if he could follow -up with the neighbors, sending them a letter asking if they could meet with them on a certain date and time regarding the netting. If the neighbors don't show at least the Park Commission made a reasonable effort. Park Commission Meeting May 25, 1999 Page 6 • Plant Trees — Charlie will do. • Map for trail. 6. REVIEW OF SHOREWOOD PONDS LETTER Consensus was everyone agreed that the letter was great. One suggestion was to say when the season starts and when it ends. It was also determined to take off sincerely and go with Shorewood Park Commission. Commissioner Themig will e -mail staff the revised letter. 7. ADJOURNMENT Puzak moved, Dallman seconded to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed 4/0. The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED Twila Grout Recording Secretary Parks "To -Do" List May 25, 1999 • Cathcart Park Done ♦ Needs weed cutting ♦ Three trees need to come down ♦ Magic Square — Going to surface it and Engineer Brown will come up with ideas and bring them back to the Park Commission ♦ Basketball hoops need to be replaced ♦ Move the sign along Church Road — Similar to Freeman Park, incorporate garden with a boulder on the right side of the parking lot ♦ Remove metal slide Freeman Park ♦ Multi- Purpose building (North parking lot) ♦ Proposed batting cage, signs and relocation of storage shed — Engineer Brown is working with Gordy Lindstrom ♦ Safety netting — Waiting on easement documents signed by the residents ♦ Plant trees ♦ Map for trail ♦ Closure of road along field #2 Crescent Beach • ♦ Add sign (joint with Tonka Bay) ♦ Screening around satellite Badger Park ♦ Resurface tennis court ♦ Straighten gate into tennis court ♦ Picnic table ♦ Remove evergreen ♦ Paint garbage cans — It was suggested that maybe Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts could paint. Council Member Zerby's daughter was going to check with her leader to see if they could paint the cans and let the Park Commission know.