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090914 pk min CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB RD PARK COMMISSION MEETING SHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014 7:00 P.M. MINUTES 1.CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING Chair Mangold convened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. A.Roll Call ; Present: Chair Mangold, Commissioners Hartmann, Dietz, and IscheCity Council Liaison Woodruff; City Planner Nielsen Absent: Sawtell B.Review Agenda Ische moved to approve the agenda as amended: Add discussion about Parks Foundation meetings. Dietz seconded the motion. Motion carried -0. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission Meeting Minutes of August 19, 2014. Dietz moved to approve the minutes of the August 19, 2014 meeting as written. Hartmann seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR There were none. 4.MANOR PARK MASTER PLAN REVIEW Nielsen stated the master plan for Manor Park is on the agenda for tonight’s review. He stated the plan is consistent with what has been developed at the park. He did note the existence of two tennis courts on the plan as well as future expansion of the parking lot. An area for community gardens is also indicated on the plan. Mangold asked if all the parks have identified locations for community gardens. Nielsen stated there appear to be gardens in many of the parks. Woodruff stated TKDA was given direction to try and find locations for gardens in all the parks. Woodruff stated an outdoor theatre/classroom is also identified in the Manor Park plan where there could be a cut into the hillside for stadium-styled seating. Dietz asked what the capacity for the seating was. Woodruff thought it might be for 30-50 people. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014 6 PAGE 2 OF Mangold asked Nielsen for his thoughts on the plan. Nielsen stated the plan shows a paved trail which is a hope for all the parks. He explained how the lawn could be mowed to identify a trail throughout the park. He believed markers could be added to identify a user’s progress. He stated it would be a good Scout project. He discussed the kind of projects scouts are most interested in. He also suggested enclosures for the recycling cans in Freeman Park which would be another good project. Dietz asked if indoor plumbing was added to the shelter. Nielsen stated it has been installed. Ische asked where the shelter is in relation to the warming house. He stated it would appear future work should be focused around the shelter. Nielsen stated it is the general vicinity as shown on the plan. Ische stated the playground equipment looked pretty new during the tour. Woodruff noted it was constructed four years ago this month. Woodruff stated the idea was to expand the parking lot and to add on by moving the lot to the east. At the time there was discussion about upgrading the shelter. The main building part never moved but was just renovated. Ische stated we need to get a feel for how much the current tennis court is being used before we decide to add another one. Mangold stated he didn’t see another court being in the 15-year plan. Nielsen stated the Humming for Bees organization is proposing to do the landscape islands in Badger in clover rather than grass. Another area is a possibility in Manor Park adjacent to the existing tennis court. Woodruff recalled adding a second tennis court was not a demand item but a suggestion from TKDA. Mangold stated of all the plans, he feels the greatest disconnect with this park. He didn’t believe there is a big issue with parking at this park either. Nielsen believed most of the games played at Manor are practice games. Mangold stated the pond is much larger than what is drawn on the plan. A boardwalk would be needed to walk around the back area of the pond. Nielsen stated it probably wouldn’t be realistic to have a trail around the pond. Ische stated it would be a real draw to the park if it could be done. Mangold stated another major issue with the trail would be the tennis court. The trail can’t be just a small loop around the pond but would need to encompass the entire park. Dietz pointed out there are two major agencies where funding might be available for outdoor art. He stated Bloomington got $465,000 in grant money last year. Nielsen asked Dietz to provide the information to him. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014 6 PAGE 3 OF Mangold stated he sees minimum shifting in this park. He stated there needs to be some passive areas in all the parks, and art would also be significant in the parks as well. Woodruff stated the outdoor seating area would also be an opportunity to have activities or classes for kids. He stated the seating area could be moved closer to the tennis court. Woodruff stated of all the parks, this is the one that had the least discussion with the TKDA people. Ische wondered how much Deephaven residents use this park and whether they would be interested in participating in its development. Woodruff noted Deephaven and Greenwood residents helped install the new playground equipment. Nielsen stated they also helped pay for the skate park. Hartmann asked if Greenwood has been approached about helping develop this park. Nielsen stated we haven’t had luck getting other cities to participate. Woodruff stated he was sure Greenwood and Deephaven haven’t seen this plan. Mangold believed the outdoor perimeter trail is one of the next steps for this park. Woodruff suggested adding a garden which would be inexpensive. Dietz suggested that each park have something unique that would identify it. Commissioners discussed possible improvements to ponds in the park, especially the one in Manor Park. Nielsen discussed the cost factors associated with dredging the pond. Woodruff stated there may be funding available to mitigate this pond. Ische stated there is $60,000 earmarked for a trail around the park. He didn’t know how much a boardwalk would cost. Nielsen stated Public Works has a paver that could be used for most of the trail, and he would ask Public Works to put it in their schedule. Nielsen suggested a dead end boardwalk at the trail with an overlook would be a possibility. Nielsen summarized priorities for this park – construction of a perimeter trail, cleaning up the pond, and an overlook or deck at the pond. 5.LANDSCAPE STANDARDS FOR CITY PARKS Nielsen stated this is a work in progress. We talked about the possibility that some parks might not fit into certain levels of service. He believed whatever is done for playgrounds would be the same level of service for every playground. He reviewed information provided by Public Works relating to mowing, playground inspection, custodial work, etc. Nielsen explained how the work is categorized in one of three levels of service. He stated as it gets developed, a list will be created for every park. He suggested moving some parks from one level to another. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014 6 PAGE 4 OF Mangold suggested Public Works Director, Brown be invited to a meeting to discuss levels of service for parks. Ische questioned whether the levels of service are being accomplished as indicated. Woodruff stated there needs to be a two-part list which list what the levels of service are and whether they are accomplished. Nielsen stated the Exhibit B is the response to the model. He stated Brown would need to respond to many of the questions. He asked the Commissioners for their input on their expectations. Ische stated he likes the level of service breakdown. He didn’t like “base on work demand” and similar designations. Nielsen stated safety should be the number one concern. Ische stated priorities change on a daily basis depending on what is found in the field. Woodruff stated for the most part, Council feels what needs to get done is getting done with the budget we have now. Nielsen noted unsafe branches have been removed in parks. A tree contractor has been hired to remove some of the larger and higher branches. Commissioners discussed levels of service and designations for maintenance items. Mangold believed there should be more of a breakdown than the three levels of service and there needs to be a priority of hierarchies. Nielsen suggested a hard surface level of service. Ische stated infield gravel also needs to be identified. Nielsen stated the gravel is dragged by the sports associations. Hartmann stated it also needs to be determined if the sports associations are actually dragging the ball fields. Nielsen stated he will double check with Public Works to see what kind of agreement there is with the sports associations. Ische stated it is unrealistic to expect edging and weed control to be done by the sports teams. He suggested the timing for these items as well as weed control in the concrete. Woodruff stated it would help him to have an exhaustive list of all the tasks that need to be done on a ball field. He suggested we get a list from another city. Nielsen stated he would pull together a couple different lists and get Brown to elaborate on what Public Works does. Woodruff encouraged the Commission to continue this discussion. Dietz stated winter care is not included on the lists at all. Mangold stated irrigation should have monthly inspections and test running throughout the season. Ische stated restrooms need to be checked daily and cleaned including weekends during the season. Playground equipment maintenance was also discussed. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014 6 PAGE 5 OF Nielsen asked if ball field mowing twice a week is sufficient. Commissioners agreed. They also concurred the rest of mowing is done about every eight days. Commissioners discussed the aerating schedule. Ball fields will be aerated twice a year. The park itself will be aerated once a year where there is essential lawn while peripheral areas may not need it that often. It was determined other areas would never be done. Commissioners discussed weed control. Ische suggested ball fields be done twice a year while common areas could be controlled once a year. Commissioners discussed tree, shrub and flower aeration. This item was removed. Commissioners continued the discussion of weed control and again determined ball fields would be done twice a year and the common areas once a year. Ische believed the entire park should be treated for weeds once a year. Mangold stated filling in damage to fields also need to be identified. It was determined it would be included at time of aeration. Commissioners discussed tree care. Brown had indicated it is continuous. Ische didn’t think they needed to be trimmed three times a year. He stated they need to be inspected when mowing takes place. Trees should be trimmed as needed. Mangold stated there needs to be an inspection checklist for tree care. Nielsen indicated the city is looking at hiring a forester who would be responsible for tree inspections. Trees will be inspected twice a year – once before leaf out, once in the fall, and after any major storms. Ische stated specific time periods for trimming should be set such as within ten days. Commissioners agreed. Commissioners discussed irrigation. Mangold stated inspections should be monthly during the season. Woodruff suggested all irrigation systems should have rain sensors. Mangold stated it is now a state law. Commissioners discussed hard surface areas. Woodruff stated it should be divided into summer and winter. They also discussed rink maintenance on weekends following a snow event. Ische stated there should be an expectation for, e.g., vandalism. When would it be addressed? Nielsen believed it would be handled in a timely manner. Commissioners discussed when cracks should be sealed. Nielsen stated every other year would be appropriate if it is not a safety issue. Commissioners discussed pest control. Woodruff suggested visible check of structure twice a month. Nielsen believed pest control should occur when a problem exists. Commissioners discussed preventative and safety checks. Ische suggested monthly checks. Woodruff stated if the city owns it, they will maintain it. Ische stated there also needs to be a checklist for these items as well. Commissioners agreed on monthly checks. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014 6 PAGE 6 OF Commissioners discussed signage, lighting, and landscaping. Mangold stated signs are very low maintenance. Nielsen stated lighting is replacing bulbs as needed. Ische stated it should be part of a preventative and safety checklist. Landscape flowers were removed as it is completed by volunteers throughout the city. It was noted sign boards should be added to this category. Ische believed items 10 and 11 could be combined. 6.NEW BUSINESS A. Parks Foundation Meeting Liaisons Mangold stated there has been a representative from the Park Commission as a representative to the Parks Foundation. Commissioners agreed meeting attendance would be rotated. Mangold noted they have quarterly meetings. Dietz offered to attend the Parks Foundation meeting. Woodruff discussed the purpose of the Parks Foundation. 7. STAFF AND LIAISON REPORTS/UPDATES A. City Council Woodruff updated the Commission on recent City Council actions. Item discussed included the impact of Freeman Park drainage on Shorewood Oaks and regrading to correct, direct staff to look at drainage in entire park, sewer line issue on Excelsior trail system, Christmas Lake boat launch reopening later this fall, zebra mussel treatment, and Badger Park discussion resulting in directing staff to move forward with preliminary design of the 1.5 plan. The operating budget was adopted. B. Staff a. Update on Cathcart Park Nielsen updated Commissioners on park maintenance issues. In response to a question from Mangold, the LRT bridge is postponed as bids came in 1.5 million over the engineer’s estimate. 8. ADJOURN Hartmann moved, Dietz seconded, to adjourn the Park Commission Meeting of September 9, 2014 at 9:52 p.m. Motion carried. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Clare T. Link Recorder