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101414 pk mins CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB RD PARK COMMISSION MEETING SHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 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, Sawtell, and ; IscheCity Council Liaison Woodruff; City Planner Nielsen Absent: None B.Review Agenda Hartmann moved to approve the agenda as amended: add discussion of irrigation systems. Sawtell seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission Meeting Minutes of September 9, 2014, Commissioner Ische moved to approve the minutes of the September 9, 2014 meeting as amended: Page 4 of 6 – change sentence to read: Nielsen suggested a hard surface level of service. Dietz seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR There were none. 4. ARCTIC FEVER SNOW SCULPTURE EVENT – JANUARY 16, 2015 Sue Davis was present and updated the Commission on activities planned for the 2015 Arctic Fever. Hartmann stated s’mores and cocoa should be available at the sculpture event. Hartmann stated the fire pit should be located in a more centralized location. She stated there will be a need for a dog sled operator. Mangold stated there is also a need for mobile fire pits. Ische asked if there is any reason why this event is over a 3-day weekend as he believed there would be better attendance if it were held another weekend. Mangold stated this could be brought up with the committee. 5. DETERMINE PARK MEETING DATE FOR NOVEMBER AS NOVEMBER 11 IS A HOLIDAY PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014 Mangold stated our meetings are the second Tuesday of the month. In November it will be Veterans Day. The meeting will be rescheduled to Tuesday, November 25. 6.CONCESSION AGREEMENT Mangold stated there are few changes to the agreement from the one in effect this year. Nielsen stated he even comes to smaller events, and he has been very reliable. Dietz stated it is unusual he is paid after the season is over and asked what the reason is. He also asked in the termination clause if it should be clearer when it relates to payment status. He also asked if commercial liability is per incident or for total. Nielsen stated he was unsure of the insurance but would find out. Mangold stated the payment should remain as is if that is what has been done in the past. Woodruff believed the City Attorney should look over the insurance. Ische asked if there was any information provided on what kind of revenue comes from the concession stand. Woodruff stated the Council has not looked at that. The City owns the agreement so the City would replace anything that breaks. Ische stated there is nothing in the contract regarding being current with Department of Health regulations. Nielsen stated he will also check into that. He stated he will come back to the next meeting with answers. 7.REVIEW PARK SUMMIT GROUP No meeting was held due to a lack of quorum. Mangold stated it doesn’t appear that we are making much progress with the other cities. Woodruff suggested the City Council be asked what the next step should be. 8.GIDEON GLEN PARKING/SIGN UPDATE Nielsen stated a bid was received for culvert placement, parking lot, and signage. He stated the bid was extremely high. He stated there is a possibility Public Works could do some portion of the work. A small-sized contracting company could possibly be hired to install the needed curb. Mangold stated his biggest question is how the culvert work would be funded. Nielsen stated it would be funded through a drainage account. The Park Commission should look at the parking lot and signage. They discussed the original amount funded for this project. Mangold asked if this would be seen again or if it would be lumped into another project. Nielsen stated that it is a possibility. 2 PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014 Ische asked if staff could do the culvert work. Nielsen stated he would discuss this with Public Works. Woodruff suggested it be added to another project such as the Smithtown Trail project. He didn’t think a single contractor would be excited about installing a culvert or curb. Commissioners discussed whether it could wait another year. Dietz stated it is better for the parks to be marked rather than unmarked. Woodruff stated it was not supposed to be a park when it was first created. He stated there are things that need to be done before it can be a park. Mangold stated the issue is that most people park at the building next door. Nielsen stated he didn’t think that would be done in the future as that is going to be a liquor store. Ische believed there would be a higher expectation of upkeep if there is a sign at the site. Dietz believed it would be worth it to maintain the trail until we have the commitment from the City Council. Sawtell discussed his concerns about continually putting off this project. Woodruff urged them to discuss this with the City Council. Dietz asked if the City can maintain the trail should it wash out. Nielsen stated we tell them what the expectation is. Woodruff suspected that the maintenance is a low priority for Public Works. If the Park Commission thinks this should be a priority, they need to tell the City Council. Dietz moved that this is a viable area for the City and there should be signage. Sawtell seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-1. Mangold voted against the motion. 9.SILVERWOOD PARK MASTER PLAN REVIEW Commissioners reviewed the Silverwood Park master plan. He stated most of the structures are exactly where it is shown. Nielsen stated the bench overlooking the pond could be a possible Boy Scout project. He stated the neighbors are not in favor of the trail. Woodruff stated there are neighbors who adamantly oppose the trail being “in their back yards”. He stated the shorter trail that terminates at the pond isn’t near any housing. Commissioners and staff discussed trail locations in the park. Mangold asked if there is a period of time when Badger Park isn’t available for skating if Silverwood would be an option for maintenance. Ische asked if the City maintains any skating areas on bodies of water. Nielsen stated they do at Manor Park. Woodruff stated there was also a discussion with TKDA about the accessibility of the trail that goes from the well house being handicapped accessible. He recalled it could not be. 3 PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014 Nielsen asked if the Commission would support putting in the benches so that the Boy Scouts could be scheduled. He also discussed the possibility of having a park donation program. Ische discussed the problems associated with memorial programs. Mangold stated it is a great idea, but there needs to be a strong program developed ahead of time. He recommended there being a specific plan developed first. Mangold asked for suggestions about what can be added to the park. Woodruff stated goose droppings still are a problem. Ische stated he is all for the benches, but if there isn’t a trail to it, it wouldn’t work. Nielsen stated the Scouts could construct a rustic trail at this location. Mangold stated the retaining walls are starting to show their age. He didn’t see any major items that we are moving toward. 10.SOUTHSHORE SKATE PARK SURVEY Mangold stated there weren’t a whole lot of responses. The responses that were received were split with the usage. Mangold stated a skate park is a destination. He stated adding one new element might make it more usable. The question is whether it is not being used because of lack of interest or because it is in bad condition. Hartmann believed the skate parks that are being used now are concrete and not wood. She stated we need to investigate what other skate parks look like. Hartmann stated it appeared from the survey the community garden should be expanded. Nielsen stated that is on our radar. Mangold believed whenever it fills up, the next year it should be expanded. Commissioners discussed dog park locations and amenities. Mangold believed it would be less costly to repair the skate park than it would be to tear it completely out. Ische stated adding another element to the skate park might be an option. Mangold asked whether the Commission believed it should be upgraded or removed. Hartmann believed it is done, and kids are doing other things now. She didn’t know what should be put in its place. 4 PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014 Sawtell suggested a basketball court. Hartmann suggested picnic tables. Nielsen stated Deephaven and Greenwood chipped in on the beginning installation. Woodruff stated Deephaven and Greenwood should be asked for their ideas. Nielsen asked if there is a skateboarding club in the area. Nielsen suggested taking pictures of nearby skate parks. Mangold also suggested contacting the Third Lair. Woodruff also suggested talking to Mound where there is a skate park near their city hall. Ische stated other ideas include a BMX track or a place to use remote control cars/trucks. Hartmann suggested it be a passive green space. Ische asked if there would be a benefit to having a playground for community garden users’ kids. Mangold stated Highway 7 holds this park back from many activities. Woodruff asked if the Commission has a budgetary notion of what it would cost to rehab the skate park. Mangold believed it would be about $300 per sheet. Woodruff stated that would be about $6,000 which is not a small budget item. Hartmann believed the people who use the park should be asked what should be added. She believed if a new structure costs the same as a rehab, we should go the new structure route. Mangold believed the garden should be expanded until the point where we can discuss removing the skate park structure. Nielsen stated the panel replacement could be a spring project. In the meantime we can look for a feature to add. Dietz stated half of the people surveyed think the skate park should remain. Sawtell asked if Brown reviewed the skeleton of the skate park facility to see what shape it is in. Nielsen stated he would check. Hartmann stated there is also a need for an estimate of the asphalt work. Woodruff stated there needs to be information provided for the City Council’s review of CIP projects at a future meeting. Dietz suggested a survey be done for each park every month. Mangold believed they should be done quarterly to avoid being overwhelmed. Ische stated then you need to be committed to doing something. 5 PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014 Woodruff stated the Commission needs to be careful when asking questions. Dietz stated it is important to get a sense of what should and should not be done with the parks. Woodruff stated it is important that the questions asked give answers that are actionable. Hartmann suggested park surveys be an item on the next agenda, and there needs to be a park update in all the newsletters. 11.SPORTS ORGANIZATION USER FEE Commissioners reviewed sports organization user fees. Ische stated he was disappointed to find out that it is only $10 a person. Nielsen stated hockey has stated $10 a person is too much. Woodruff believed the fee is very low. Hartmann suggested checking to see what other cities charge. Nielsen agreed to canvass other cities. Commissioners discussed fees charged based on the sport and whether more active games, such as football, charge more per person. Ische asked how many soccer fields are at Freeman. Nielsen stated there are three full-size; crosswise they play on them for smaller kids. Hartmann stated lacrosse is becoming more popular. Mangold stated he never sees the money collected on any of the park budget reports. Woodruff believed it goes in the general fund, and the Council budgets park maintenance which comes out of the general fund. Mangold believed it is something we should be tracking. Nielsen agreed to check with Finance about this fee and where it is located in the budget. 12.MEETING WITH CITY OF CHANHASSEN STAFF REGARDING CATHCART Nielsen stated staff met with the Chanhassen administrator and mayor to discuss Cathcart Park. They reminded us that there is an existing agreement where they take care of lawn maintenance and tree trimming, and Shorewood takes care of capital improvements. There will be a Park Summit meeting with Chanhassen in April to review the agreement and discuss the possibility of doing something different. Mangold asked if we would have an opportunity to review the agreement in advance. Nielsen stated it would be reviewed. Commissioners discussed the maintenance of the park. Nielsen didn’t know if Chanhassen maintains the ball fields. 6 PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014 Mangold stated it is great they are open to discussion. Nielsen stated a perimeter trail was suggested at Cathcart, and Chanhassen thought that was a great idea. Mangold asked if we know what their park dedication fees are in Chanhassen. Nielsen stated that is not known, but he would find out. Woodruff suggested a list of what they want to get out of the meeting be prepared prior to the April meeting. 13.NEW BUSINESS Mangold stated he wanted to make sure the City’s irrigation system has a rain sensor. If there isn’t one, it would be a good move on our part to upgrade. Nielsen stated we have one at the Public Safety building. He believed there is one at the ball field at Freeman Park. He stated it would be added to Badger Park. 14. STAFF AND LIAISON REPORTS/UPDATES A. City Council Woodruff updated the Commission on recent City Council activity. He indicated there was discussion about sending a letter to the four other cities to relinquish their ownership and maintain an equity ownership should the building ever be sold. There will be a meeting with residents around Galpin Lake regarding a trail. The feasibility report for the Smithtown trail will be presented at the next meeting. There is another snag on the trail in Excelsior due to poor soil conditions. Clover has been planted in most of the parks. A copper sulfate treatment was done in Christmas Lake. They are still trying to get a permit to add potash. Hartmann left the meeting at 9:10 p.m. B. Staff No report 15. ADJOURN Sawtell moved, Dietz seconded, to adjourn the Park Commission Meeting of October 14, 2014 at 9:13 p.m. Motion carried 4-0. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Clare T. Link 7 PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014 Recorder 8