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102621 Park Packet CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB RD PARK COMMISSION MEETING SHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021 7:00 PM AGENDA 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING A. Roll Call Hirner(Nov)____ Gallivan( )____ Schmid(Jan)____ Tauer( )____ Heinz( )____ Council Liaison Gorham(July-Dec)____ B. Review Agenda 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission Meeting Minutes from August 10, 2021 – (Att.-#2A) 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR (This portion of the meeting allows members of the public the opportunity to bring up items that are not on the agenda. Each speaker has a maximum of three minutes to present their topic. Multiple speakers may not bring up the same points. No decisions would be made on the topic at the meeting except that the item may be deferred to staff or the City Council for more information.) 4. NEW BUSINESS A. Sam Larson Eagle Scout Project Application – (Att. #4A) B. CIP with specific discussion of Freeman Park north playground and Southshore Park – (Att.-4B) 5. OLD BUSINESS A. Senior Programming – (Att.-#5A) 6. STAFF AND LIAISON REPORTS/UPDATES A. Jim Heinz – Summary of Discussion at the Planning Commission meeting. B. City Council C. Staff 7. ADJOURN Liaison for City Council Meeting on November 22 is Chair Hirner Reporting on October 26 and November 9 Park Commission Meetings 2A CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB RD PARK COMMISSION MEETING SHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 7:00 P.M. MINUTES 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING Chair Hirner convened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. A. Roll Call Present: Chair Hirner, Commissioners Gallivan, Schmid, and Heinz; City Council Liaison Gorham; Parks and Recreation Director Grout; Planning Director Darling Absent: Commissioner Tauer B. Review Agenda Heinz moved to approve the agenda as presented. Gallivan seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission Meeting Minutes of July 27, 2021 Hirner moved to approve the minutes of the July 27, 2021 meeting as presented. Heinz seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0-1 (Gallivan abstained). 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR Rich Eng, 25170 Glen Road, asked to be allowed to exceed the recommended three minute speaking time limit. He stated that he has some questions about the trailhead at Freeman Park. He stated that there was no discussion at last night’s City Council meeting on the amount of trees that will be removed. He asked if there had ever been any discussion on how many trees would be removed in order to get the trailhead in. Chair Hirner stated that they have not talked about a specific number of trees, but they did discuss the width of the pathway and the easement areas. Mr. Eng asked for an estimate of how many trees would be removed. Chair Hirner estimated that it would be between 10-20 because they selected the option that is along the edge of the field. Mr. Eng asked if there was a possible way to put the trailhead in without any tree removal. He stated that he is officially here representing over 450 members of the community that are diabolically opposed to any destruction of the trees for a trailhead. He stated that he finds it puzzling that none of the elected officials have asked the question or brought up the subject of taking out trees to put in a trail. He stated that he understands that the plans are not finalized but if the City expects this to move forward without a fight they will be mistaken. He reiterated that PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 PAGE 2 OF 9 they are opposed to taking out trees in order to put in a bike trail. He stated that he has lived in this City for 21 years and has ridden his bike during that time without any problems, from the trail in Freeman Park. He stated that a few miles away at Manitou Park in Tonka Bay, there is more than a 40 car parking lot and people who want to access the trail have to travel less than 75 feet and at Freeman Park it is about .5 mile jaunt to access the trail. He asked where the need for this trailhead originated. He stated that there is a big sign in the park that says that Shorewood is a “Tree City”, however it appears as though the City no longer cares about trees. He asked how many of the Commissioners had been the Crescent Beach. There was a show of hands from all the Commissioners present. Mr. Eng explained that Tonka Bay installed a massive sign that is at least 10 feet long and 4 feet wide that says ‘Crescent Beach – Property of Tonka Bay’. He stated that the City of Shorewood spends a lot of money on something that isn’t theirs and he feels it should be redirected for something that would be a better use within the park system. He stated that the dedicated swim lanes are all located on Tonka Bay’s property and reiterated that he would like the City to reallocate funds from lifeguards or maintenance for Tonka Bay’s beach and put them to better use than for a 6 foot piece of land that the City owns there is mostly a drainage ditch. Cindy Becker, 6165 Strawberry Lane, stated that she is not part of the 450 neighbors referenced by Mr. Eng, however, she would echo his comments regarding the trees in Freeman Park. She stated that she thinks Shorewood, as a community, needs to be a lot more aware of its ecosystem, especially parks. She stated that she thinks there should be zero tolerance for taking down healthy trees and sees no reason to put a paved pathway where there is grass. She stated that she would like the Commission to go home and look up the documentary, Kiss the Ground and watch it. She stated that she does not want the City to be part of the problem of global climate change because one tree is too many, especially in a park. She stated that it has to be possible to place a trail to access the LRT in a way, even if it is just strategically down the middle of the park with soccer fields on either side. She stated that she is shocked by the idea of the estimate of 10-20 trees to be removed if this plan moves forward. She stated that she is passionate and would ask that the Commission members also be passionate about this issue. She stated that the City cannot afford to move forward with reckless development and reiterated that the City does not need to kill trees. Alan Yelsey, 26335 Peach Circle, stated that he has lived in the City for 40 years. He stated that he feels this meeting should be accessible via Zoom with people able to talk. He stated that the Commission is going to be talking about seniors later in the meeting and there may be seniors who do not want to leave their home during the winter or evening hours, that may be homebound or not want to leave due to illness which is why they should be able to fully participate in these meetings with Zoom. He encouraged the Commission, if they believe that democracy is important, to try to get the Council to do that. He stated that he believes in discussion and the three minute rule is not a good democratic process because there is no discussion. He asked that the Commission either provide a vehicle for the public to be able to have a conversation about topics and talk with them rather than just talking at them. He stated that he would try to keep to his three minute limit but expressed his appreciation for the Commission allowing Mr. Eng to speak longer than that. He stated that he abuts Freeman Park across the trail and his first issue is poison and pesticides. He stated that the City has a resolution that says they will not use systemic pesticides on City property and they are. He stated that he has asked and was provided the information that the City is still putting poison in Freeman Park on all the fields. He stated that some of it is being supplied by the government and some of it is from the people who run the PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 PAGE 3 OF 9 ballfields, but all of that feeds into Commissioner Schmid’s property, the Lake Minnetonka watershed, and ultimately into his backyard. He stated that there is a very high water level and floods each spring so any poisons that are put down, get into their ecosystem and he cannot tolerate that. He stated that the City has said they will not do it, and are doing it. He asked that the Commission stand up for its own resolution and prohibit the use of systemic pesticides at least by the City’s application. He stated that his second issue is seniors and noted that he was glad to see them do a survey and would like to see the City do more of those for the citizens. He stated that his quick senior survey is that park has wonderful, potential trails, but they flood, are poorly surfaced, no have benches, and he has yet to see the City address those issues and instead has chosen to go after buckthorn and other things that he does not feel are as important of an issue as providing safe access for senior or individuals in wheelchairs safe access to those trails . He stated that he feels that should be the priority when dealing with Freeman Park and is the one that the people want. He stated that he would also agree with the earlier comments regarding no tree removal. He stated that the next item he would like to discuss is Smithtown Pond. He stated that the City has failed to respond properly to their concerns about the Smithtown Pond property. They have great concerns about its justification and what will happen. He stated that he regards it as a park in the sense that it will not be used for commercial use and citizens will have access to it and asked the Commission to consider how they can make sure that will not be a hard to them and is done in a way that becomes park-like even if it is not classified as a park. He stated that he would also like to touch on citizen notification. He stated that there is a project on tonight’s agenda regarding Birch Bluff. He stated that there are many residents who are upset by, for example, the Strawberry Lane project, because the City did not ask the citizens what they needed, wanted, or what they thought, early on in the process. He stated that he would ask the Commission to guide the process of asking citizens first and make sure that information is gathered before the planning and engineering process begins. He stated that the Commission, as a body, has a responsibility as their representatives to stand up for the citizens, and noted that, so far, he does not see them doing that on the issues that he has described. 4. NEW BUSINESS A. Trail Discussion along Birch Bluff Road City Engineer Budde explained that the City has Birch Bluff Road slated for a full street reconstruction in 2023 as part of the City’s CIP. He stated that in the City’s overall trail plan, they have identified one block along Birch Bluff to include a sidewalk or trail as part of the project. He stated that he would like to open this up a bit more broadly and look at the entire linking connection and not just the one block. He stated that he is looking for feedback from the Commission with regard to understanding how they should be reaching out to residents along the corridors and the community, as a whole, to try to get their input on the appropriate sidewalk or trail segment in this area. The trail plan is intentionally vague regarding the width and other details. He reviewed the overall trail plan and the variability of the topography in the area. He stated that he would like to have some community consensus on the appropriate solution. He stated that he does not have an agenda, but would like to build what the City wants. Commissioner Gallivan asked if the sidewalk for Eureka Road part of the original 2012 plan and if the thought is now that the Birch Bluff Road will be an additional element that would be added or whether it was always envisioned. City Engineer Budde explained that the connection was always from Smithtown Road, up Eureka, a portion of Birch Bluff, up to Crescent Beach, and has been in there since 2012. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 PAGE 4 OF 9 Chair Hirner confirmed that there are currently no sidewalks in this section. City Engineer Budde stated that is correct and would all be new facility, if it moves forward. Chair Hirner asked what the additional road width would be if they were to put in a trail along the side of the road, similar to what has been done in Minneapolis and St. Paul. He stated that he would also like to know the amount of traffic on this road and what the safety aspect of that looks like if it were to go on the road. City Engineer Budde explained that typically a bike lane would widen the road. He stated that he thinks Eureka and Birch Bluff are 22-24 feet wide, rural roadways right now. The City’s standard that they would like to build to is 28 feet wide which would include the width of the curb and gutter, which means there is about 24 feet of bituminous surface. He stated that when adding a bike lane, the minimum requirements are typically 5-6 feet and can include curb and gutter. He stated that the bike lanes are typically intended for one-way bike traffic and also do not typically accommodate pedestrians which means it is a solution that probably answers one piece of the problem, but not everything for all the users. The City does not have traffic counts for this roadway but would estimate about 1,000 vehicles/day which is a bit less than Cathcart/Strawberry/Eureka and noted that he does not have safety information. Commissioner Gallivan asked if the plan would be to increase the width of the road or just re-do the road as is. City Engineer Budde stated that it what he is trying to figure out. He stated that if there is consensus or momentum that there is a desire for some sort of sidewalk or trail connection there, then it would be incorporated with the project. If the answer is no and that it is not the time, then it would be omitted and the message would be that residents and bicyclists need to just use the street like they have been doing. Rich Eng, 25170 Glen Road, stated that his street is currently under construction. The City came in and took out 166 trees and decimated the neighborhood and it has become unrecognizable. He stated that he cannot imagine anyone who lives on these streets would be in support of this plan. He asked about the driving force behind these projects and asked why there seems to be a push to turn Shorewood into downtown Minneapolis. He stated that people moved to this community for what they have right now. He stated that he does not think people want this and would like to know how many trees this plan would take away and reiterated that his neighborhood lost 166 trees. Alan Yelsey, 26335 Peach Circle, reiterated that he has lived here for 40 years. He stated that he used to live on Grant Lorenz Road and has experienced walking and biking with his family up to the beach. He expressed his appreciation to City Engineer Budde for asking these kinds of questions and opening it up for discussion. He stated that, by now, it should be clear that the process should be to immediately have the citizens of a potentially impacted area be asked to come to a meeting or have some kind of notification process to discuss what they want. He stated that, as mentioned by Mr. Eng, there should be objectives of why it is being done. He stated that there is a safety objective and shared the example of Smithtown Road, where the sidewalk is a nice amenity for walking, but questionable for the bicyclists because they end up on the street and there is a trail that they could choose but many of them don’t know there is a trail. He stated that it is not as safe as it could be. He stated that he believes everyone will say that they like the least amount of impact on their property and does not understand why there would need to be a PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 PAGE 5 OF 9 curb. He stated that Grant Lorenz was done without a curb and things the drainage issue has been improving because of the engineering. He stated that narrow streets are part of the beauty of Shorewood and people learn to deal with them. He stated that, for him, doing the minimum, which means repaving the road and trying not to eliminate some of the trees on Birch Bluff and Eureka and would create something that isn’t currently available to find a physical way to differentiate where bikers and walkers will be on the street, particularly Eureka. Commissioner Gallivan stated that he agreed that there should be a public process that specifically targets the individuals that live in that area to figure out if they want it or not. He stated that he lives in an area where people have been asking for a sidewalk for 20 years and there are 750 people that want it. He stated that if they do not want it then those resources could be used in other areas where people do want it which makes sense to him. He stated that he thinks it needs to be a structured process and gave the example of not wanting it to turn into the fire lane issue that goes on for years with no real resolution. He stated that he thinks structured engagement is better than what the Park Commission did surrounding seniors in the park where it was blasted out more widely and should, instead, be targeted for those residents to come weigh in and share their thoughts. Commissioner Heinz asked what drove the formation of the 11 person ad hoc committee that was formed in 2011. Planning Director Darling stated that there was quite a resident demand for trails at the time and it was thought that the ad hoc committee should study where the trail should be placed, but also gave a priority order on which trail should be built first. She stated that some of them had feasibility studies that were done years ago and because of some of the issues flushed out from those studies the trails were put on the back burner until the City could get more funding. She stated that this is the case with the neighborhood referenced by Commissioner Gallivan along Galpin Lake. Commissioner Schmid stated that it can be a tough decision because trees are important to the area, but on the other hand, she questions whether something could be created that would be better, in some cases, than just leaving the trees there. Chair Hirner stated that he would like to get input from people along the affected path and things both sides of the street should be involved. He stated that he would also like to have the opportunity for those in that area of the City that would potentially use it, but would not be in the first meeting where the immediate residents will be discussing the options. He stated that he also thinks feasibility studies should be completed and envisions this being a three-pronged approach. He stated that he likes that the City has a long-term plan for its trails and doesn’t want the City to minimize residents ability to utilize the beach, even though it is officially located in Tonka Bay. He stated that he also likes the idea of a regional trail connection. There was consensus of the Commission to support the three-pronged approach suggested by Chair Hirner. Mr. Yelsey stated that the use of the word ‘trail’ is confusing to him because there is question about what it is and whether it was a sidewalk or a path. He stated that he would like the City to stick with what is a commonly understood meaning for the term. He stated that if you look at Wayzata and Hopkins and how they do the connective tissue of biking trails, they mark them and often just have an area on the side of the road for the biker and feels this can make it more safe PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 PAGE 6 OF 9 for the bikers in the City. He stated that traffic means cars and he believes the City has the responsibility to integrate traffic control. Mr. Eng stated that he has access to the Hennepin County regional trail and shared examples of new bikes that can be charged and can travel at speeds up to 70 mph. He stated that when he moved to the City in 2000, the problem was with the snowmobiles and shared the examples of a woman who was walking her dog who was hit and disabled from the impact. He stated that now the issue will be with the bikes, speed, and the constant noise from music playing on phones or boom boxes. He stated that there are no hours of operation, so they can be heard sometime at 2:00 a.m. and questioned whether that would be something the Commission would want to impose on these residents. He stated he regrets moving onto the trail because it has just been getting worse and worse and shared the example of local bicyclists meeting up to utilize the trail to do a pub crawl, which means they are returning home drunk at 2:00 a.m. He stated that he will caution the Commission that trails sound good, in theory, but can open the door to a lot of other problems. Councilmember Gorham questioned the timeline and what level of engineering design would happen prior to looking for the input from residents Commissioner Gallivan stated that that he would like to know the timeline for having plans finalized, for example, for a project to be done in 2023. He stated that he would like to factor that into whatever they recommend. City Engineer Budde stated that they would normally bid the project at the end of 2022 or early 2023 and noted that it usually takes about a year to get through the final design process, which brings things back to the beginning of 2022. He would ideally like to see when the feasibility study is presented to the Council that they have gone through the process of ‘sausage making’, to go through the scenario of what they want, so that when they move into final design there has been very clear direction to them. He stated that in order to keep this on track with the proposed timeline, a drop dead point would be springtime of 2022. Councilmember Gorham stated that he would suggest that the City gathers the survey information so they have a better handle on the challenges before a plan is even showed to anyone. City Engineer Budde noted that they are only gathering survey information for the segment along Birch Bluff and not Eureka, but he would like to have the whole context of the entire connection as part of it. He stated that he thinks the conversation can happen without having survey information, at least on Eureka. Councilmember Gorham stated that he wants City Engineer Budde to be able to be comfortable enough to be able to speak to some of the challenges. Commissioner Gallivan asked when the survey for the Birch Bluff piece would be completed. City Engineer Budde stated that it should be done in about another month or two. He reiterated that he would like to look at the whole connection because if there is not support to make a connection from Smithtown Road up to Crescent Beach, they would not even have to have a conversation on Birch Bluff and could just say that the road would continue to be used the way it has been. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 PAGE 7 OF 9 Commissioner Gallivan stated that he thinks that means doing a first meeting with residents in September or October to get the initial feedback and start the process mentioned by Chair Hirner, so they have gotten the feedback by the early 2022 deadline. Commissioner Heinz stated that the City needs to take the right steps and talk to the people. He stated that the original ad hoc committee was formed to deal with health, safety, and general welfare when it came to trail planning priorities. City Engineer Budde stated that so far, most of the feedback suggestions have sounded like face to face, open house type meetings and asked if the Commission felt there would be any appetite to do some on-line or web based application. He explained that there are ways to create a map of the area and you can track comments that come in and is open to the public and everyone can also see everyone’s comments. He stated that it has been used on some projects and has helped gain access to a different demographic than what they may get with an open house meeting because it is available 24 hours/day rather than a limited time from a meeting. Commissioner Gallivan stated that he thinks having this option is a good idea because it gives people more than one way to comment. Chair Hirner stated that he would also support this approach. Commissioner Heinz stated that he agrees that the on-line option is good, but thinks face to face options will always be helpful. Gallivan moved to recommend the City hold an in person meeting sometime around October 2021, specifically with residents along Eureka and Birch Bluff that will impacted, conduct a survey and give the option for on-line engagement for people from the broader community to give feedback, and then have a meeting after this process to go back and share the work that was done and the suggested path forward. Heinz seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. B. Review Improvements for Christmas Lake Public Landing City Engineer Budde stated that the HOA around Christmas Lake reached out to the City to try to do some improvements to their boat launch access. He reviewed their process for removal of aquatic invasive species. He stated that they would like to create a concrete pad for the equipment which would free up a parking space. He presented the two options for placement of the concrete and the trees that would be impacted with both options. Heinz moved to recommend placement of the Christmas Lake Boat Landing enhancement of putting the concrete pad on the center line, option 2. Gallivan seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. C. Senior Programming Chair Hirner noted that the survey the City put together mainly focused on the physical aspects of what people would like to see in the parks and this is not the programming side. He asked if there is programming that the City could do in the parks, similar to what is done for children in order to draw in more senior citizens. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 PAGE 8 OF 9 Commissioner Heinz asked what the City is considering ‘seniors”. Park and Recreation Director Grout that they were considering 55 and old as seniors. Chair Hirner stated that he thinks it would be interesting to take a look at the communities to the west, such as Waconia or Victoria and see what they do for seniors in their parks, versus to the east such as Eden Prairie or Minnetonka. He stated that he thinks there is a major difference in programming available to seniors depending on whether it is more rural or more urban. He noted that he feels Shorewood is kind of on the cusp between the two sides. He shared an idea of having seniors track the time they are spending on the trails and then receive some kind of recognition for the people who do the most, similar to the Step To It program. Commissioner Heinz stated that Freeman Park is attractive because of the variety of the trails and noted that he sees a lot of the Shorewood Ponds residents coming through the trees just walking. He noted that he thinks the senior market is potentially a large one for the City. Chair Hirner asked Park and Recreation Director Grout to go research what the communities in the area are doing and bring it to a future meeting for discussion. D. Determine Liaisons for City Council Meetings September 27, 2021 – Commissioner Gallivan November 22, 2021 – Chair Hirner January 10, 2022 – Commissioner Schmid October 5, 2021 – Planning Commission – Commissioner Heinz E. Date Change for October Park Commission Meeting Planning Director Darling explained that the City Council meeting has been bumped from October 11 to October 12, 2021 because of a federal holiday, which will require the Park Commission meeting to move from October 12 to October 26, 2021. There was consensus to move the October Park Commission meeting to October 26, 2021. 5. OLD BUSINESS - NONE STAFF AND LIAISON REPORTS / UPDATES A. City Council Councilmember Gorham gave an overview of the recent City Council meeting as reflected in the minutes. B. Staff Park and Recreation Director Grout stated that the last summer park program, Movie in the Park, is coming up on August 27, 2021. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 PAGE 9 OF 9 Councilmember Gorham noted that his children participated in the horse or cat painting with two of their friends and loved it. 7. ADJOURN Gallivan moved to adjourn the Park Commission Meeting of August 10, 2021 at 8:49 p.m. Schmid seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. #4A CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 Country Club Road  Shorewood, Minnesota 55331  952-474-3236 Fax: 952-474-0128  www.ci.shorewood.mn.us  cityhall@ci.shorewood.mn.us To: Park Commission From: Twila Grout – Park & Rec Director Date: October 26, 2021 Re: Sam Larson Eagle Scout Project Eagle Scout candidate Sam Larson will be attending the Park Commission meeting to present his project to the Park Commissioners. He would like to build a compost bin for the community garden which is located at Freeman Park. As the deadline for his Eagle Scout is April 15, 2022, Sam would like to start the project as soon as possible and anticipates completing the project this fall, if weather permits, but no later than early spring. Attached is a copy of Sam’s project for your review. The photo of the compost bin is an example of what the bin will look like but will have a side that swings out on hinges. Staff Recommendation: Upon review, staff recommends that the Park Commission support the proposed Eagle Scout Project for a compost bin at Freeman Park community garden. #4B CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 Country Club Road  Shorewood, Minnesota 55331 952-960-7900  www.ci.shorewood.mn.us  cityhall@ci.shorewood.mn.us To: Park Commission From: Maire Darling – Planning Director Meeting Date: October 26, 2021 Re: Capital Improvements Programming Attachments: Fund 402 CIP 2021-2030 Projects by Funding Source Proposed Fund 402 CIP 2022-2031 Projects by Funding Source The attached CIP for Fund 402 reflects the Commission’s direction for funding priority through 2030. Each year, the Commission reviews those priorities and adjusts them where needed. Update on Projects Badger Park Tennis Courts (2020): Completed in the summer of 2021 when the practice wall was installed. Silverwood Park Playground (2021): The old playground was demolished but the equipment delivery is delayed due to shipping issues beyond the City’s or playground manufacturer’s control. If we have new information by the meeting, staff will provide a verbal update. Earlier this fall, the City did receive notice that a grant that was awarded for the project in the amount of $25,000. Including this grant, the project cost is anticipated to be about $265,000. Freeman Park Drainage Project (2021): Completed. Freeman Park Trails (2023): Because the City and the Three Rivers Park District have begun discussions on allowing the TRPD construct a trail connection from the LRT to a parking area, the City’s total project cost for repaving the trails will be reduced. The full cost of that project has not yet been determined. Staff recommends keeping the amount at $200,000 until we have an agreement signed between the City and Three Rivers. Freeman Park North Playground Handrails (2023): Public Works staff was able to repair the existing handrails on the north play structure which negates the need for that project. The Parks Commission should include discussion on where replacement of this playground structure fits into the priorities for funding. Generally, the decision would be how this playground rehab fits into the schedule balancing the replacement of Cathcart Park playground and the redesign of South Shore Park. Freeman Park Fencing (2023): Staff received an estimate for repairing the ballpark fencing. The bid for the fence repair is lower than budgeted. Staff recommends that we now use $30,000 as the new amount. Staff also recommends that the project be rescheduled to 2022 due to the safety issues from this problem. Staff are currently applying for grants for funding assistance on this project. Christmas Lake Boat Landing (2022): Staff have drawn up plans for the repairs to the boat launch and new concrete pad for the aquatic invasive specie decontamination equipment, but do not yet have an estimate. We will verbally update you with this information at the meeting. Staff are currently looking into grants to cover the cost of this project. Southshore Park (2028): The Parks Commission has expressed an interest in discussing the facilities that should be offered in Southshore Park. The master plan and reconstruction project are not scheduled until 2028. If desired at this time, the Commission should consider the types of facilities they think are desirable in this park and determine if 2028 is the correct year. Fund 402 Reserves: After deducting the amount allocated for the 2021 projects, the remaining funds through 2026 are about $355,000, which is under the cost to fund the number of current projects with the reductions noted above. Because Freeman Park may be less than the amount budgeted and the timing of Cathcart tennis court overlay project (2024) may be able to be adjusted, most of the projects listed could be funded, but staff would need to continue to apply for grants to supplement the project costs and the timing may need to be adjusted to be able to meet the funding priorities up to 2026. #5A CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 Country Club Road  Shorewood, Minnesota 55331  952-960-7900 Fax: 952-474-0128  www.ci.shorewood.mn.us  cityhall@ci.shorewood.mn.us To: Park Commission From: Twila Grout – Park & Rec Director Meeting Date: October 26, 2021 Re: Senior Programming At the August Park Commission meeting, the Park Commissioners discussed senior programming and asked staff to reach out to other communities to see if they do senior programming in the parks. Staffed reached out to the following Cities: Mound – The Park department does not do senior programming. Programming is through the senior center. They do not have outside programs at their parks. Chaska – Staff has not heard back from them. Eden Prairie – Their senior center does the programming. They have a biking club, walking group and this fall they are offering a fall colors hike and a program on the history of paper. Victoria – Have not heard back from them. Minnetonka - Their senior center also does the programming. They have a biking club and Adopt-A- Highway. This fall they are offering a Night Sky Observation Program, and a Fall Hiking Program. This past summer the following park programs were offered for seniors: a painting class at Badger Park picnic shelter, a Nature Journaling class at Freeman Park, Poker Walk around the trail at Badger Park. All three of these programs were cancelled due to not having enough registrations. The one program that was a success was car bingo. This program was held last fall at Shorewood Community & Event Center parking lot. Classes were promoted through the city newsletter, Southshore Senior newsletter, flyers, and website. Staff does not know if the COVID pandemic discouraged residents from signing up for the outside programs. Please provide direction for other senior programs or if the same programs should be offered again next year.