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Pk 02.14.2023CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB RD PARK COMMISSION MEETING SHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2023 7:00 P.M. MINUTES CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING Chair Hirner convened the meeting at 7:01 p.m. Roll Call Present: Chair Hirner, Commissioners Levy, Garske, and Wenner; City Parks and Recreation Director Crossfield; and Planning Director Darling Absent: None Review Agenda Garske moved to approve the agenda as written. Wenner seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Park Commission Meeting Minutes of October 25, 2022 Levy moved to approve the minutes of the October 25, 2022 meeting, as written. Hirner seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR There were none. 4. NEW BUSINESS A. Silverwood Park Grand Opening Chair Hirner stated that the Silverwood Park project was completed at the end of the season in 2022 and looks fabulous. He stated that the park has been getting a lot of visitors and noted that the City is planning to host a grand opening event and explained that the Commission has been asked to provide input on when to hold this event, if there should be food/refreshments, as well as entertainment or vendors. He gave a brief overview of what was done when the City held a grand opening event for Badger Park. Planning Director Darling stated that she would recommend waiting to hold the grand opening event until after the frost is out of the ground. The Commission talked about the possibility of holding the grand opening in late June during the week, and ways to market the event. Planning Director Darling suggested that staff take a look at some possible mid-week dates in June and come back with more specific options at the next meeting. She noted that the City had received a grant from Hennepin County for the parks and believes that they would like to be invited to the grand opening event as well. Commissioner Levy noted that it may also be a good idea to make sure that the MCES knows that this park has special needs equipment in place and available for use. Chair Hirner asked if there may be a way for children to actually conduct the ribbon cutting rather than the City officials. The Commission discussed ideas for food/refreshments and noted the importance of considering that this is a much smaller park that Badger. They suggested perhaps the easiest option may be to have a way to simply pass out popsicles or ice cream rather than have a vendor, but also discussed the possibility of having a small vendor be situated on the service drive. Commissioner Levy suggested that perhaps having signage related to the mowing plans related to the Bee Friendly policy be put up prior to this event, so it can serve as an update for residents on that possible change. Planning Director Darling noted that she was not sure all the decisions would be made by then, but agreed that would be a nice addition. Commissioner Wenner noted that her neighbor hosted a graduation party where they had a Ben & Jerry’s cart that worked really well and even had compostable ice cream cups. She asked how many people the City would expect to be at the event. Planning Director Darling explained that because of the limited amount of parking, she envisions it as being more of a neighborhood party which would probably mean around 50 people. Commissioner Garske asked what type of entertainment options staff was thinking may be appropriate for this type of smaller scale event. Planning Director Darling stated that the City hired an individual who made balloon animals that was very popular at the Badger Park event that could work for this event as well. She noted that they could also have some small games and things like sidewalk chalk available. There was consensus to look into hiring the balloon artist, having chalk available, having some sort of ice cream or snow cone type of refreshment available, and to schedule the grand opening for Silverwood Park mid-week in mid to late June. B. Eddy Station Concession Stand Chair Hirner explained that the City has had a long standing vendor who has operated the Eddy Station concession stand each summer but they are no longer able to do it. He stated that the City is in need of looking at options for concessions including sports associations, food trucks, City-run, or by having other community organizations run the concession stands. Commissioner Levy asked why the company that used to run the concession stand would no longer be doing it. Planning Director Darling explained that it has originally run by the father of the individual who ran it last year. She stated that she believed that the father passed away and the family member no longer wants to run the business. She noted that, in the past, the concession stand was primarily run when there were games at Eddy Station. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield stated that from what she has seen, the last vendor did try to maintain having the concession stand open Monday – Sunday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.. Commissioner Wenner asked what type of facilities and equipment were available at this concession stand. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield stated that her understanding is that pre-packaged snacks are what would be allowed to be served out of Eddy Station. She stated that there is a refrigerator and a freezer, but believes that is the only equipment. Planning Director Darling explained that in the past they sold popcorn and hot dogs as well, but the stand is lacking a 3-compartment kitchen sink, so they cannot sell food that has been made on site. Commissioner Wenner asked if there was someplace to the north of the concession stand where a food truck would be able to park before the park traffic would accumulate. She stated that she knows how congested the parking lot can be and expressed concern about a food truck being able to get to that portion of the site. Chair Hirner stated that he thinks the end of the parking lot may be able to accommodate this kind of use, but there may be an issue with getting power to this location. He questioned whether there would be somebody willing to have a food truck at this site for 3 hours every night and whether the projected sales would be enough to entice a food truck to want to do that. Commissioner Garske stated that he would lean away from food trucks because he thinks it may be difficult to produce enough revenue in this location and it may be difficult to find enough trucks to rotate through. He stated that he likes the idea of the sports association or enabling the community organizations an opportunity to operate the concession stand as a way to fund raise. Chair Hirner stated that would also be in favor of community organizations or sports associations handling concessions for this location. He stated that he thinks that the Minnetonka Baseball Association is a good example of how well this kind of solution can work. Commissioner Wenner asked if the City made any money off of the concessions. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield noted that she had found a record of a small fee that was charged each season to the vendor. Commissioner Wenner asked if there were numerous sports associations that have expressed an interest in operating the concession stand. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield explained that former Park and Recreation Director Grout had reached out to associations last year and at the time, none of the associations had expressed an interest in it, but since that time, one association has expressed interest regarding the possibility of a Monday through Thursday operation. Commissioner Wenner stated that her experience with kids playing soccer at Freeman Park is that finding parent volunteers can be extremely hard with the younger age group because parents are already overloaded. She stated that she loves the idea, in theory, but is not sure if they would be able to practically come up with enough commitment from the parents to actually run the concession stand and also wondered if it was necessary. She noted that she has been there for games when the players, parents, and grandparents have all been a little hungry and cranky and agreed that it would have been nice if they had something more substantial available. She asked if there may be a way to partner with local restaurants to have sponsored nights with their food available. Commissioner Levy stated that her children are swimmers and staffing the booth with products was a pain because they had to make Costco runs for supplies and agreed with Commissioner Wenner that parents do not have a lot of time for this kind of commitment. She stated that she is wondering about the idea of having it be City-run and to give some young people a job. She stated that the City would also be able to control the consistency and product quality of what is sold. She stated that she agreed with Commissioner Wenner that she loves the idea of involving the community or sports associations, but having been on the other side of this issue, has seen how hard it can be. Commissioner Wenner stated that it is has been difficult for the City to find seasonal workers over the last few years. Chair Hirner asked when they needed to have an answer for this situation. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield stated that would depend on which route they select and reviewed some of the timelines related to staffing, food truck approvals, agreements, and potential fees. Commissioner Wenner asked about the possibility of reaching out to the high school to see if there were any of their clubs who may want to sign up to take turns running the stand in order to raise money for their organizations/clubs. She referenced the coffee house on Excelsior Boulevard in Hopkins that is run by students. Chair Hirner suggested that it may be worthwhile to have a conversation with the business teacher at the high school. He stated that he has been involved in a few organizations that supported groups that have had the local business teacher put together a plan that will teach the students how to run a business and noted that this could possibly be that kind of situation. Commissioner Garske stated that he thinks the Commission is in agreement that they would like to have something available at Eddy Station. He stated that it sounds like the preferred route would be to have some sort of group or organization staff it rather than trying to hire someone. He stated that he thinks there have been a lot of good ideas thrown out and asked if that was enough to give staff a start looking into some of the options. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield suggested that staff take a look at a few of the options suggested by the Commission and come back to the Park Commission next month with a more formalized idea of what may be required. Commissioner Garske asked if the Commission felt that the association that was interested in potentially staffing the concession stand Monday through Thursday would be sufficient. Commissioner Wenner stated that she did not think that would be feasible. Hirner moved to direct staff to look into having the sports associations run the concession stand as option #1; community organizations as option #2; and City-run as option #3; and that if there is not much weekend coverage that the City look at giving the option for the organizations to work with food trucks for things such as tournaments. Garske seconded the motion. Commissioner Wenner asked if the City would take a portion of the sales from the concession stand. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield explained that in other cities she has seen the City has received a percentage of the profits. Commissioner Wenner asked if there was a food truck site where the City could post the opportunities and available time slots to see if there was any interest. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield stated that would be an option, but in her experience, the food trucks like to know how many people will be there and what other food vendors may be available. She stated that there are different routes that the City could take, for example, starting small and working with a hot dog cart vendor. Commissioner Wenner stated that she would like to see this done prior to looking at having it by City-run because of the proven difficulty in finding seasonal staff. She offered a friendly amendment to the existing motion to replace the City-run option #3 with food trucks. Amended motion by Hirner, seconded by Garske, to direct City staff to look into having the sports associations run the concession stand as option #1; community organization as option #2; and food trucks as option #3, including giving the option for food trucks for things such as tournaments. Motion carried 4-0. C. Smithtown Townhouse Development 24250 Smithtown Road Chair Hirner explained that the plot of land for this townhouse development straddles both Shorewood and Tonka Bay but tonight’s discussion should focus only on the Shorewood aspect of the proposal. He stated that they are planning four buildings with eight units and gave a brief overview of the City ordinance regarding park dedication fees. He explained that the Park Commission is being asked to make a recommendation to the City Council on whether they would like to see park land dedication or park dedication fees in this instance. He stated that because of its location, he did not think land dedication made much sense and would suggest that the City accept park dedication fees in lieu of land. Commissioner Garske stated that he agreed and did not feel like the space would add much value to the City’s parks and the fees would be better used for upgrading other City facilities. Commissioner Levy asked about the number of bedrooms in these units and how many families are expected to live there. Ryan Lundgren, stated that there would be about 3 bedrooms per home. Commissioner Wenner asked what would be considered a ‘park’. She stated that she understands that this is not a feasible area for a park because of its location and its proximity to Badger Park, but explained that she was a big tree advocate. She stated that this area contained one of the last stand of old growth trees in the area. She stated that if that whole stand of trees is taken down that would mean a pretty big loss. She noted that it did appear as though the developer has stated that they plan to leave as many trees as possible. Mr. Lundgren agreed and explained that was the benefit of the homeowners from a sales perspective to leave as many of the trees in place as possible so it looks like it has been there the whole time. Commissioner Wenner reiterated her question about what the City’s definition would be of ‘park’. Planning Director Darling stated that, in this case, the definition the City would be using is what is the area of useable public space that could be gained in this area. She stated that there a number of parks in the area as well as the LRT trail and noted that the Comprehensive Plan does not indicate any additional land needed in this particular area for a park. Commissioner Wenner explained that she understood that there were no parks ‘needed’ in the area but asked if there was anything from the City’s perspective that would address conservation of trees, especially if they are valuable, older trees. Planning Director Darling stated that the City wants to look at areas and pick up conservation areas where it is feasible. She explained that in this case, if the City was going to preserve the trees on the space, the City would end up having to purchase the property in order to do that. She stated that this proposal does not include much open space for dedication to the public. She reiterated that for any kind of meaningful conservation on the site, the City would need to purchase a portion of the property rather than getting a small percentage of the property set aside for public open space. Commissioner Wenner asked about the landscaping plans and what trees they have identified in their plans. Mr. Lundgren stated that they have not gotten into those kinds of details yet. He stated that this plan was something that their engineer had put together as an initial idea. He stated that they have spoken with Planning Director Darling, the fire department, and the police station nearby because they felt screening on that side would be very important. He explained that this plan was meant to just show them what they had in mind, but have not had any meaningful discussions at this point regarding landscaping or which trees will need to come out. Planning Director Darling noted that a survey with the tree inventory was included in the meeting packet, but noted that it is a bit hard to see in this format and may be easier to examine in its electronic form. Commissioner Levy asked about the number of residents per park from the most recent census and asked if this development was added if the City would still be within the prescribed number of people per park. Planning Director Darling stated that she would need to take a look at the Comprehensive Plan and see if there is an actual number. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield explained that the National Recreation and Park Association determines a healthy community is when everyone is within a ten minute walk of a park. Commissioner Garske asked if the Planning Commission had already approved this project. Planning Director Darling stated that they have not seen it yet and explained that the Park Commission is the first stop for this proposal and noted that the City Council has also not yet seen this proposal. Commissioner Wenner clarified that the Park Commission was being asked to consider a cash donation rather than park land. Chair Hirner confirmed that was correct and noted that how he has looked at these in the past is that you look at the number of units and the size of the lot. He stated that in this proposal that would mean a fairly small piece of property and his thought process is surrounding whether that small piece of land would really be useable for a park. He stated that, in this instance, he does not think the City having this small amount of land for a park would be beneficial. Garske moved to recommend approval of the staff recommending to accept a park dedication fee rather than land for the Smithtown Townhouses at 24250 Smithtown Road. Levy seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0, 1 abstained. Planning Director Darling noted that the second topic for discussion on this property is whether the open space should be owned privately or publicly. She explained that staff is recommending that it be owned privately because most of the common space would be used for storm water, some green space around the units, the driveways, and a private drive. Mr. Lundgren confirmed that there would be a full HOA that would maintain the grounds on this site. Commissioner Wenner asked about the proposed filtration basin. Mr. Lundgren stated that it is like a drainage pond and noted that they have been working with Hennepin County on that easement. He stated that his understanding was that there would be an agreement between the County and the HOA to ensure the maintenance is done. Planning Director Darling stated that the agreement would be with the City of Shorewood, City of Tonka Bay, and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. Wenner moved, to recommend that the open spaces at 24250 Smithtown Road remain privately owned and maintained. Garske seconded. Motion carried 4-0. OLD BUSINESS STAFF AND LIAISON REPORTS / UPDATES City Council Staff Planning Director Darling stated that she wanted to give an update to the Commission on things that happened when the Commission did not have a quorum and could not meet. She explained that there were several items that staff took directly to the City Council. Freeman Park Trails She stated that when the Freeman Park Trails initially came up, the plan was that once the plans were about 50% ready, they would come back and ask for direction on some of the details. She stated that the Three Rivers Park District is constructing a new trailhead segment that would extend from the LRT all the way down to the gravel parking area near the entrance of Freeman Park. She noted that there is a small segment of paved trail that goes through the woods on the north side which would essentially be running parallel to the more highly used trail. She stated that the question staff brought before the Council was whether or not that trail should continue to be paved or if the City should create a more natural experience for walking through there and creating more of a gravel or mowed trail. She stated that the Council determined that it made sense to mill it up and have the gravel trail in that area which results in a substantial cost savings for that portion of the trail. She noted that there is another segment of the trail along Eureka Road and there was discussion of expanding it from 6 feet wide to 8 foot wide and the Council elected to keep it as a 6 foot wide segment, so it is more of a sidewalk rather than a multi-use trail. She stated that the third element that was discussed was the roadway connection between the north and the south parts of the trail that has been closed down to vehicle traffic. She stated that they had proposed narrowing up the road bed so it was less comfortable for people to sneak through with their vehicles. She stated that it would still be wide enough at 12 feet for emergency vehicles to access it and explained that this was also approved by the City Council. She stated that there is one trail segment between the southerly parking lot and the neighborhood to the west that is current unpaved and that is the only segment that is currently unpaved that the Council approved paving. She stated that the next phase for this project will be that staff will apply for grants to help cover some of the costs. Chair Hirner asked if the Freeman Park trails project would happen in 2023. Planning Director Darling stated that she expects it will happen in 2023, but will most likely be later in the year. Vandalism Deterrence Park and Recreation Director Crossfield explained that vandalism had taken place in both restrooms at Manor Park. She noted that the Council recommended moving forward with the FlashCAM security camera. She stated that they also encouraged communicating with residents near Manor Park that were involved in the pond clean-up project to get some community feedback regarding a possible mural on the park shelter. She stated that there is an existing pole that would allow the camera to be mounted high enough across the parking lot and would have a fairly good angle of the entrance to the restrooms. Commissioner Levy noted that she believed the camera was motion sensing and even had a voice. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield stated that was correct and confirmed that the City can add a voice recording. Planning Director Darling asked for volunteers for reporting at upcoming City Council meetings. February 27 – Commission Garske March 27 – Commissioner Levy April 25 – Commissioner Wenner May 22 – Chair Hirner Planning Director Darling noted that last night, the City Council appointed a new Park Commission member who should be at next month’s meeting. 7. ADJOURN Garske moved to adjourn the Park Commission Meeting of February 14, 2023 at 8:17 p.m. Wenner seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0.