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02-14-12 PK MINS CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD PARK COMMISSION MEETING SHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012 7:00 P.M. MINUTES 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING Chair Quinlan convened the meeting at 7:05 p.m. A. Roll Call Present: Chair Quinlan; Commissioners Gordon, Kjolhaug, Edmondson, and Hartmann; Administrator Heck; Public Works Director Brown. Absent: Commissioners Swaggert and Robb, Council Liaison Woodruff. B. Review Agenda Edmondson moved, Gordon seconded approval of the agenda as presented. Motion carried. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Gordon moved, Hartmann seconded approval of the January 10, 2012 minutes with a spelling correction on Page 3, paragraph 9, line 5 “La Cross” to “Lacrosse.” Motion carried. 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR. There were no matters from the floor this evening. 4. PRESENTATION BY EAGLE SCOUT – NICK HOSTETTER Chair Quinlan welcomed Nick to the meeting. Quinlan informed the Commission that Nick contacted him about doing an Eagle Scout project in Badger Park or for the Southshore Center and he is looking for possible ideas. Quinlan asked Mr. Hostetter to provide the Commission with what he is considering. Hostetter stated he is from Troop 702 in Minnetonka and is looking for an Eagle Scout project. Part of process is completing a permanent project. He told the Commission he can recruit 20 – 40 people to assist with the project and is interested in anything needed at the park. He listed a few possible ideas such as rehabbing a warming shack, rehabbing the hockey rink, doing a trail, restriping the tennis courts, repainting play structures, etc. He said he is open to anything the Park Commission and City have. He stated the project needs to be about 150 hours. He told the commission he is planning for sometime in the spring or summer and plans for a one to two day project. Chair Quinlan stated Nick has come at the right time as the Commission is currently looking at re- designing Badger Park and one of his project ideas may fit well with this process. Quinlan also indicted that Nick spoke to Kristi Anderson about projects at the Southshore Community Center. Nicks father offered a few comments. 2A PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012 Page 2 of 6 Nick mentioned that he used to be a big basketball player and noticed there is not a court at Badger and Tonka Bay just updated their court at Manitou Park. He thought a basketball court might be a nice addition to Badger. He did not know where a good place to put one would be as the city floods the area behind the hockey rink. Quinlan noted that the City does have a couple of courts, one at Cathcart and one at Silverwood. Quinlan then asked Heck to express any concerns or issues the City may have regarding a project. Heck stated the City encourages and supports these projects and he has been involved in two projects so far. One was the rehabilitation of a bridge and walking path adjacent to the Southshore Center and the other a composting set up at the community gardens. Heck stated what the city needs from the scout is a project plan and what resources the scout needs from the city in terms of staffing or funding. Kjolhaug asked for clarification from Nick on the number of volunteers and he reiterated he would be getting between 20 and 40. Kjolhaug then stated there is a pending project in Freeman Park involving the removal of Buckthorn and he thought this might be a good project. Heck clarified that the city is applying for a grant with Great River Greening to cover ½ the cost of Buckthorn removal from two areas in Freeman Park and Great River Greening relies on volunteers to help in the removal process. Gorden asked about woodchips and pathways that might be pending. Heck responded that no plans are in place as of yet, however, there has been discussions on putting a trail along the creek in Badger Park. Edmondson asked about fund raising for the project. Nick stated he has not started this process as of yet. Quinlan suggested coming up with a short list of projects and then to work with Nick on selecting a project that would work for the city and Nick. Quinlan stated this could be done at the meeting in March and recommend the project to the council. Quinlan then asked Mr. Hostetter to send the projects identified by Ms. Anderson. Quinlan stated there was some interest in establishing some trails in Badger Park, but he is unsure of the time and effort needed to put in a 100 or so yards of trail. Mr. Hostetter stated there is a program called “National Trail day” in June and proceeded to explain how this program works. He indicated several organizations, such as churches, home improvement stores, outdoor recreation stores, etc, get involved with volunteers and supplies. This might be an opportunity to explore. Heck stated the commission is having a joint meeting February 28 and the commission could convene a brief meeting following the joint meeting to consider this item. This would allow for council consideration at their March 12 meeting. Following a bit more discussion, the commission consensus was to gather a short list of projects and meet with Nick following the joint meeting on February 28 to consider and recommend a project. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012 Page 3 of 6 Quinlan thanked Nick for his willingness to do a project. DETERMINE LIAISON FOR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS FOR MARCH, APRIL AND MAY Quinlan then asked who will do the park commission report to Council for the March, April, and May meetings. After some debate, commissioner Edmondson volunteered for the March 12 meeting. Commissioner Gordon volunteered for the March 26 meeting. Quinlan volunteered for the April meeting. Commissioner Kjolhaug volunteered for the May meeting. DISCUSS BADGER PARK PRIORITY SETTING Quinlan began the discussion on Badger Park planning and priority setting by outlining what the Commission discussed at the last meeting and indicating that part of this meeting is to develop the Commissions vision for Badger Park and for the Park system as a whole. Quinlan read the mission statement developed by the Park Commission in 1996: The Shorewood Park Commission shall guide the development, implementation, and maintenance of Shorewood’s recreational System. The recreational system consisting of parks and a multi-purpose trail network shall provide the community and neighborhoods with a safe, attractive, and diverse recreational facilities and dedicated trail network. Gordon asked about the changing demographics for Shorewood. Heck stated the city is getting older and stated according to the recently conducted survey, there is an age “bubble” at the 45-54 (34%) and another at the 55-64 (20%) age groups. Heck asked the Commission to think about what the strengths or positive aspects Badger Park possesses and what are some of the disadvantages or drawbacks of the Park. The Commission proceeded to discuss and identify a few of the positive aspects of the park. These include the generally central location, size, connection to the Southshore Center and City Hall, the creek, and woods were also noted as strengths of the park. The commission then listed a few of the negative or disadvantages of the park. These included size, soil conditions, parking, and high water table. Heck then asked the commission to identify some of the existing uses of the park space as well as what some of the potential uses might be. The Commission identified organized sports (football, lacrosse, tennis, skating, walking, dog exercise, kid’s recreation (playground), passive recreation, and neighborhood recreation e.g. pick-up games as existing uses). Potential uses included a display area with information on the history of the city and the area, an outdoor amphitheater, basketball, chess tables, bocce ball, shuffle board, horse shoes, a formal garden area for weddings and such events. The general thought was to make sure the park hosted amenities for the changing demographics of the city. The other strong thought was to ensure a cohesive connection between the City Hall and Southshore Center to create a campus type feel. Finally, Heck asked the Commission to consider what might not be a good fit with the Park. The commission listed three items. Those being the football field, community gardens, and tennis courts e.g. moving from two courts to one court. The commission then addressed what their particular vision for Badger or the parks as a whole is. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012 Page 4 of 6 Gordon stated her view is the parks provide services that an individual will not provide on their own. She used the example of not having a tennis court or skating rink in their yard. Quinlan voiced his thoughts and stated he believes parks contribute to an increase in the quality of life of the Community that anyone in the community can use for any purpose. Edmondson read excerpts from the Minneapolis Park Board vision statement. Minneapolis Park Board and Recreation Board exists to provide places and recreation opportunities for all people to gather, celebrate, contemplate, and engage in activities that promote health, wellbeing, the community, and the environment. Experiences health, fun, and learning for all people. He stated that in a nut shell it is community pride and support. He then expressed how he envisions Badger Park. He views Badger Park as a multipurpose-integrated space to coincide with community center and city hall. Kjolhaug stated he sees parks as outside space providing recreation organized or not, connecting with people and nature – parks provide opportunities for all ages, in every park, in every season. Heck stated these are all very good statements. He also stated the commission has been at this for about an hour and felt it a good idea to end the discussion at this point. He will summarize the information for the next meeting where the commission can begin to assemble a plan for the park based on the discussion from tonight. Brown pointed out that in the discussions of Badger Park; the commission take in to consideration the placement and location of various amenities. He stated it is as if the “park fairy” came out and indiscriminately sprinkled things around the park. The commission agreed this aspect must be a part of the overall plan. DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND RINK POLICY Quinlan moved the commission to the ice rink and warming house policy. Quinlan outlined the purpose for developing the policy explaining that the city currently does not have a policy on when rinks and warming houses are opened, when they close, when to consider not starting rinks, etc. Quinlan stated he wants to open the topic for discussion and asked if this policy needed to go to council if approved tonight. Heck responded that the Commission makes the recommendation and then it goes to council for final action. Edmondson asked about the section related to rink warming house opening and closing and asked about the term “should conditions permit.” He stated that is a rather wide open and vague statement. Heck stated conditions fall to the public works department. Heck added he feels the city would go back to the statement regarding creation of ice and the conditions that are necessary to begin to form ice. Brown stated input by staff assigned to parks is key in the determination of ice conditions. He will rely on their input on ice conditions in making decisions. He stated that dates are difficult in that the entire process is “at conditions permit.” Kjolhaug brought up the thought of having staff time available during the night to flood rather than during the morning as is done now. Brown stated that the critical issue is building a good base and that he talked to staff about this and there is some agreement to working out a “shift change” in order for the development of a good base. Staff will look at this potential for the next skating season. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012 Page 5 of 6 Commissioner Edmondson moved to recommend approval of the policy. Kjolhaug seconded the motion. Motion carried. REVIEW AND RECOMMEND PURCHASE OF PICNIC TABLES Quinlan moved on to the picnic table discussion. He noted the document provides the option of two different tables from two vendors; the vendor used in the past two years and a new vendor. One of the tables quoted is constructed of expanded metal and the other is perforated metal. The vendor the city usually uses indicated the tables are perforated metal and not expanded metal. Quinlan stated he prefers to keep the same type of table and color and therefore recommended the past vendor provide the tables again this year. After some discussion as to what type of table we actually have, Heck suggested the commission return the item to staff for clarification. NEW BUSINESS Quinlan asked for new business. He stated Kristi and Twila have been discussing a musical event at the SSCC on June 1. Quinlan said there are no details as this point; he just wanted to make the commission aware of the event. STAFF AND LIAISON REPORTS/UPDATES Heck stated there is a joint meeting scheduled for February 28 and asked if the Commission has any specific issues to cover with the Council beyond the resident survey and Badger Park. Quinlan stated he would like to address Gideon Glen as part of the parks. Quinlan asked staff if there was anything new from the council meeting held last night or information on grants. Heck stated the city is applying for a tree grant and stated the council did not authorize applying for another grant for the county road 19 trial segment. Heck stated a big concern expressed by the council is the overall cost for the implementation of the trail plan. Heck stated staff will bring this issue back to council to try and iron out the issues associated with this item. Heck stated the community survey presentation went well and stated residents are quite satisfied with the city and the park system. Edmondson stated a neighbor attended the meeting to discuss the issue of safety and other traffic concerns along Country Club Road. Kjolhaug mentioned the issue of the grant for buck thorn removal as well as the Christmas Lake development and the park dedication fee. Heck stated that dedication fee goes in to the park improvement fund and not into the general fund. Commissioner Hartman moved to adjourn the meeting, commissioner Edmondson seconded the motion and it carried. Meeting adjourned at 9:19 p.m. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012 Page 6 of 6 RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Brian Heck – City Administrator Recorder