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041001 PK MIN CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD PARK COMMISSION MEETING COUNCIL CHAMBERS TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2001 7:30 P.M. MINUTES 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING Chair Arnst called the meeting to order at 7:33 P.M. A. Roll Call : PresentChair Arnst; Commissioners Berndt, Dallman, and Meyer; City Engineer Brown and Council Liaison Zerby Late Arrival: Commissioner Bix Absent: Commissioners Young and Puzak B. Review Agenda Engineer Brown asked to add item 9B regarding a tennis court net at Badger. Berndt added item 8C pertaining to trails and pet waste. Chair Arnst added item G under reports to include an update on the Little League irrigation system status at Freeman. She also added item H, an update on the MCES spring meeting. Berndt moved, Dallman seconded accepting the agenda as revised. Motion passed 4/0. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission Meeting Minutes of March 13, 2001 Dallman moved, Berndt seconded, approving the Minutes of March 13, 2001 as submitted. Motion passed 4/0. 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR There were none. 4. REPORTS A. Report on the City Council Meetings of March 26, 2001 and April 9, 2001 (Council Member) Liaison Zerby had nothing new to report pertaining to the Park Commission for either meeting. Brown reported that the Council was interested in pursuing the dog waste issue and would like an update from the Park Commission on how they plan to address the problem. B. Report on Park Foundation Meeting of March 21, 2001 (Commissioner Dallman) Dallman reported that the Park Foundation did meet recently to formalize the final changes to the by-laws. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2001 Page 2 of 5 The by-laws have since been approved by the City Council on March 26, 2001. The Park Foundation will be meeting again tomorrow evening, April 11, 2001 to appoint directors and discuss how it will be an active foundation. Dallman added that he has written a letter to the sports organizations and past supporters informing them of the changes and inviting their participation. C. Report on Land Conservation Environment Committee (Commissioner Berndt) Commissioner Berndt had no new meeting to report on. Will be meeting later this month. D. Update on Eddy Station Concession Stand (Engineer Brown) Engineer Brown reported that discussions have begun with Herr Concessions. While talks have been favorable, he has not had an opportunity to get into detail with the vendor due to a family emergency out of town for Mr. Herr. A meeting will be set for later this week and Brown invited interested Commissioners to attend. Chair Arnst hopes to be in attendance and voiced her concern over the timeline. Brown felt there is still a window of opportunity to gain a concessionaire and has spoken to Midwest Vending as a back up. Berndt inquired as to when the Concession area would be sodded. Brown could not give any specifics and indicated that this would be happening as soon as weight restrictions were lifted around May 1st. Commissioner Bix arrived at 7:38 P.M. E. Update on Skate Park (Engineer Brown) Engineer Brown was pleased to report that the equipment has been ordered from Ramptech and is to arrive about May 1st. He is currently collecting bids for the overlay and that will begin, once again, after weight restrictions are lifted May 1st. F. Update on Location of Arbor Day Tree Planting (Engineer Brown) After much discussion with staff, Brown reported that they have decided upon the Skate Park as a good location for the Arbor Day Planting. The tree will be planted just west of the lot and will offer Shorewood another opportunity to promote the Skate Park. Bix inquired over the type of tree to be planted and suggested a species similar to those lining the driveway of Lafayette Country Club, which flower in the spring and sprout berries in the winter. Berndt added that Norway Maples grow quickly. Brown said he would check the availability. The planting will occur on Saturday, April 28 at 9:30 A.M. G. Update on Irrigation System at Freeman Brown reported that Little League will gift the irrigation system to the City of Shorewood once its complete. He added that he has not yet seen anything from them and Little League is required to submit their plans for the system prior to beginning the installation process. Brown took the opportunity to clarify that the water for the irrigation system is not free as he has heard people say. Typically, the City must obtain a permit from the DNR, which allots only a certain amount of water from the ground. The water is not free, and everything we pull out of our City Wells over the allotted amount we pay heavy fines for each year. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2001 Page 3 of 5 H. Update on Community Education Services Meeting Engineer Brown reported that he was unable to attend the Minnetonka Community Education Services, MCES, meeting of April 3, 2001, due to a family emergency. He has however, been trying to get in contact with Deb Malmsten of MCES to get a report. After leaving several messages with no success, Brown has referred the matter to Administrator Dawson for further action. 5.CONSENSUS FOR DATES AND FORMAT OF PARK TOURS ?? Proposed Dates: May 8th and May 22nd ?? Format: May 8th at 6:00; Freeman, Cathcart and Crescent Beach May 22nd at 6:00; Manor, Silverwood and Badger Rain Date for Either Night; June 12th Chair Arnst asked for confirmation of the dates of the upcoming park tours from the Commission. It was finalized that the Commission will meet at Cathcart Park on May 8th at 6 P.M. and Chair Arnst welcomed the Council, Engineer Brown and others to join them. The Park Tours offer an excellent opportunity to become acclimated with the parks, see what’s needed and what’s happening at each location. 6. FURTHER DISCUSSION ON DEEPHAVEN’S REQUEST FOR TELEPHONE AT SKATE PARK Of the available 2-3 alternatives, Chair Arnst asked whether phones were an option or within the Commissions budget to maintain at the Skate Park. Although Deephaven has offered $500 for the installation of a phone, the Commission debated the viability of maintaining the monthly service charge. Dallman questioned whether a phone was necessary at all. He pointed out that many of the City’s other parks offer no telephones and cater to a larger number of people than the Skate Park. Bix added that from what she has observed, many youths have their own cell phones anyway, and surely someone at the park would have a phone readily available. Chair Arnst asked staff to prepare a letter declining the Deephaven offer for these reasons. Zerby added that the park offers high visibility and certainly a cell phone would be nearby. 7. SKATE PARK NAMING PROCESS ?? Discuss Format for April 25 Meeting With Other Visiting Park Commissions Chair Arnst noted that the April 25th meeting will be kept very informal and provide the Park Commission and opportunity to meet and introduce themselves to other Commissions. This in turn, will hopefully give Shorewood an opportunity to propose further joint ventures and encourage more of this kind of cooperation and community partnering. Berndt asked whether the kids would be included. Chair Arnst and Engineer Brown felt that the kids instead should be invited to the grand opening, but perhaps some of their naming ideas could be used in the brainstorming process. The time of the meeting will be 7 P.M. 8.PUBLIC HEALTH MATTERS RELATING TO DOG FECES ?? Define a Process to Public for Notification of Problem ?? Determine Timeline for Notification Process and Recommendation to City Council PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2001 Page 4 of 5 Berndt reported that upon giving her Park Commission report to Council, the public health concern over the dog feces problem caught their attention and they agreed action needs to be taken. She continued that the Council would like to see a timeline of how to curtail the problem. Chair Arnst informed the Commission that on a recent visit to Freeman, she noticed piles of dog waste in the children’s play area every five feet. It is no longer just a dog feces problem, it has become a public health issue. Berndt added that most of the piles she sees are quite recent. Zerby asked whether it seems more concentrated due to the snow cover. He also noted Councils hesitation over banning dogs due to the concern over how to enforce the issue. If a law is put into effect, one must prioritize or examine how enforceable it is. Chair Arnst pointed out that the current ordinance is impossible to enforce. The police must see the pet in the act of leaving its feces versus a new law, which would mandate where dogs are allowed at all. Brown agreed that the police have more important issues to patrol and we need a more enforceable law. Berndt asked how public education on the importance of this issue might be possible. As a public health problem we need to take it seriously. Bix suggested mailing out information on the problem to all of the licensed pet owners in Shorewood and/or writing a news piece. Meyer added that by tying it to children, something everyone worries about, we could draw more attention to the issue. Zerby brought up the idea of putting the news piece into the school kids take home packs. Everyone agreed, these ideas all offer ways to get people talking and aware of the problem. Dallman asked why we couldn’t pay officers to monitor the trails for lawbreakers like we do for snowmobilers. Here too, people are breaking the law and by watching the trails, we could show the public how seriously the City takes this problem to be. Brown added that Julie Moore, the new Communications Technician from the City of Golden Valley, had a similar problem there. In Golden Valley, they hired a bike patrol officer to work the park areas. Chair Arnst asked if Brown could work with Moore to put together letters/articles to use as inserts, newspaper pieces, etc. quoting the ordinance and someone from the public health field within the next month. As added to the agenda, Berndt asked if public works could install additional garbage cans along the LRT for dog-waste pickup. Brown indicated there are currently 48 cans in Freeman and said he will look into adding more to the trail. 9. REPORT ON MINNETONKA COMMUNITY EDUCATION SERVICES MEETING OF APRIL 3, 2001 REGARDING FIELD ASSIGNMENTS FOR SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS Addressed under Reports Item G. earlier. B. Tennis Court Screen at Badger As added earlier, Brown reported that he received a phone call from Planning Director Nielsen earlier today regarding a surrounding net for badger tennis. As an issue brought forth by neighbors last year, Nielsen had promised to look into adding a tennis court screen on Badger. Brown said that Nielsen will be pursuing this matter and that the cost of the screen is somewhere around $450. 10. OLD BUSINESS Dallman asked Brown for an update on the MnDOT trunk closure from Freeman onto Highway 7. Brown PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2001 Page 5 of 5 shared with the Commission that on occasion, MnDOT will recommend certain accesses be closed off for public safety, one of which is the Freeman Park access. Initially, Brown reported that MnDOT pledged $50,000 to pay for the closure, however, this will not cover the cost of closing the access and preparing a parking/pedestrian crossing area. Based on this, Brown went back to MnDOT and asked for more. In an unprecedented move, MnDOT agreed to pledge an additional $20,000 and gave Shorewood another year to complete the closure. With this in mind, Brown hopes to have the work complete this year. 11. NEW BUSINESS Brown added a reminder of the April 17, 2001, orientation for all Commission and Council members that will take place at 7 P.M. This will provide everyone with a unique opportunity to hear different viewpoints and talk about issues. Brown added another reminder regarding the Training Session being presented by John Shardlow on April 21, 2001. As of this afternoon, over 30 people have signed up from various communities to hear him speak. 12. ADJOURNMENT Dallman moved, Bix seconded to adjourn. Motion passed 5/0. The meeting adjourned at 8:40 P.M. REPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Kristi B. Anderson RECORDING SECRETARY