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Pk.07.25.2023 DraftCITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB RD PARK COMMISSION MEETING SHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY, JULY 25, 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, Wenner, Czerwonka City Council Liaison Callies; Parks and Recreation Director Crossfield; Planning Director Darling Absent: None Review Agenda Garske moved to approve the agenda as written. Levy seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Park Commission Meeting Minutes of March 14, 2023 Levy moved to approve the minutes of the March 14, 2023 meeting as written. Garske seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. Park Commission Meeting Minutes from May 23, 2023 Wenner moved to approve the minutes of the May 23, 2023 meeting as written. Garske seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. Park Commission Meeting Minutes from June 13, 2023 Garske moved to approve the minutes of the June 13, 2023 meeting as written. Levy seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR There were none. 4. NEW BUSINESS Mill Street Trail Public Participation Phase II Luke Sandstrom, Hennepin County engineer, Project Manager for the Mill Street project, gave an overview of the proposed layout for the project and reviewed the next steps. He noted that the have gone through Phase 1 of the public engagement process with the two proposed options which were: to completely narrow the road and remove the shoulders entirely with the 6 foot boulevard and the 10 foot trail; or to reduce the shoulders to four feet shoulders along with a 6 foot boulevard and the 10 foot trail, but allowed them for bikers to use. He stated that based on about 800 responses from various forms of public engagement, 58% percent of people selected option 2 with bikeable shoulders, option 1 received 27%, and 9% stated that either option would work, 4% wanted more information, and 2% didn’t like either option. He noted that the entire proposed layout is available for viewing on the website. He explained that they would be moving into the next phase of the public engagement process to solicit feedback on the preferred option and noted that the plans are for construction in the summer of 2025. Chair Hirner stated that within the Shorewood section of the project area there are a lot of houses that are below road grade and expressed concern that this project does not end up flooding yards that will cause problems for the homeowners. Mr. Sandstrom assured the Commission that the way this will be designed is that the trail will tip towards the street so they will not add any additional slope and flow. He noted that in some sections they will be adding curb and gutter so there will not be overflow into the ditches. He stated that there are watershed requirements when they do this type of construction which means rate and volume controls will be required and noted that they should be able to work with property owners to mitigate this type of concern. Chair Hirner stated that it does not look like the current trail pathway from Chanhassen is 10 feet and asked about the current dimensions. Mr. Sandstrom stated that he does not know those dimensions are. Chair Hirner questioned whether then needed the 10 foot wide pathway if they planned to keep the 4 feet of bike lane in the roadway. Mr. Sandstrom stated that he did not know the age of that portion of the pathway, but explained that their standard, moving forward is 10 feet wide for multi-use paths. He stated that even though there is a bike lane in the roadway, there are still people who are uncomfortable biking in that location. He explained that having two-way traffic with less than 10 feet would be a concern. Commissioner Levy asked if there were any pinch points in the plans. Mr. Sandstrom stated that in the first round there was a pinch point just south of 3rd in Excelsior where there are two existing retaining walls. He stated that they have worked with the property owner who has indicated that they are open to having that wall replaced and moved closer to the property, so they will have enough space to carry the bike lanes all the way through and will not have a pinch point. Planning Director Darling noted that a 10 foot trail also opens then up to funding sources that an 8 foot trail would not so it gives them more access to potential grant funds. Chair Hirner referenced a letter from Nancy Peterson, that was included in the packet that expressed concerns about this project and the trail connection, in general. He stated that he was hoping to attend some of the public engagement sessions in order to hear what people think. Request for Pickle Ball Courts Letter Chair Hirner referenced a letter the City had received from Kerri Hexum requesting that the City add pickleball courts to the City. He asked for staff input on this request. Planning Director Darling noted that the existing tennis courts at Manor, Badger, and Cathcart, are all striped for use as pickleball courts as well. Commissioner Wenner noted that the letter mentioned something about an issue with the net height and asked if they were adjustable. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield confirmed that the net heights for tennis and pickleball are different and explained that she had not yet come across an adjustable net that would be feasible for use by the City. She stated that she can research it more and noted that she had heard good things about portable/retractable nets. She stated that what she has heard from pickle ball players in the City is that the striping on the courts is confusing because they are for both tennis and pickleball. She stated that the most frequent request she gets is for dedicated pickleball courts. She explained that Victoria had just opened up 8 pickleball courts and Chanhassen and Hopkins also have a number of them. She showed images and examples of how tennis courts have been repurposed as pickleball courts and a rendering of what could possibly be done at Southshore for 3 courts but noted that the pavement would need to be expanded a bit. Commissioner Wenner noted that this possibility was discussed during the park tours partially because of the potential noise issue and that it would be walkable from the senior center. She stated that she thinks the issue was that the paving was not included in the budget plans and that the current parking lot would need to be regraded. Planning Director Darling stated that she believed within the next few years the City will be putting together a master plan for Southshore. She stated that at that point the Commission could incorporate whatever features they like into the plan. She stated that once they do that staff can come up with estimates and include it in the CIP. Chair Hirner asked how large the parking lot is at Southshore. Commissioner Garske stated that thinks it is about 60x94 feet based on the information presented by Park and Recreation Director Crossfield. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield clarified that she had gotten her information by using the Google Maps measuring tool. Chair Hirner stated that he agreed that he thinks they could fit 3 pickle ball courts fairly easily in Southshore, but if they push it to more, he suspects it will impact a large portion of the parking lot, which then causes problems for people coming to play pickleball. Commissioner Wenner noted that the community garden would also still be there and require some parking. Chair Hirner stated that he thinks they just need to take some time to think about how many courts they can get in there without jeopardizing the parking situation. He asked where else the City could put pickleball courts without causing contention by potentially taking away a tennis court or cause a nuisance for nearby residents. Planning Director Darling explained that the City had taken a look at the Manor Park tennis courts and thought they could do some public engagement and see if people wanted to replace the standard tennis courts with pickleball. She stated that her understanding is that these courts are mostly used for pickleball anyway but stated that this would definitely be something that needed to be taken to the community. She stated that they have also had some conversations about the potential to re-use the ice rink in Cathcart. Commissioner Garske stated that he had actually played his first round of pickleball today. He stated that it is an all ages activity where they can be competitive against each other. He stated that he also likes that it is more open and you can just show up and play. He stated that it is a growing sport that definitely has demand and noted that to the idea of ‘taking away’ a tennis court, he would say that they could use that same space to create 4 pickleball courts that can have 4 players a time, which means they are switching out 2 people enjoying the surface, to 16 people. Chair Hirner asked how many pickleball courts could fit on the ice rink space. Commissioner Garske stated that using Google maps it appears as though it is about 200x100. Planning Director Darling cautioned that she did not think the City could have both uses and would have to make a decision about which one they would prefer. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield noted that Minnetonka had pickleball courts in a hockey rink and they had an issue every year of the posts heaving out from the freezing in the winter so there was an ongoing maintenance issue. Chair Hirner asked if there may be a way to put in a row of pickleball courts alongside the hockey rink. Planning Director Darling stated that staff would have to do some measuring to see if that may be possible. Commissioner Levy stated that at Freeman Park there is a lot of space and thinks having a pickleball court here may be a good idea for the family members of someone who may be at the park utilizing the ballfields and suggested locating them near the concession stand. Commissioner Garske stated that the entire Commission has expressed interest in finding a way for the City to include pickleball courts and asked if it will need to await the master plan when they are overhauling a park before one could be added. He asked if it was something that the Commission could fit in within the next 2 years. Planning Director Darling stated that it could be added to a master plan and explained that the reasons they were planning to put together a master plan for Southshore was because they essentially have no facilities there. Commissioner Wenner asked that someone from staff respond to Ms. Hexum and let her know that the Park Commission is considering this issue and looking into various options. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield stated that staff will communicate with Ms. Hexum but noted that this e-mail was not the only one the City had received on this topic. Chair Hirner noted that Planning Director Darling had indicated that the striping for the pickleball courts make it difficult for people and asked if there may be something the City could do as a short term fix for this issue, such as differing the colors of the striping. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield noted that the City could reach out to the pickleball community and ask about that option or other short term solutions. Chair Hirner asked staff to reach out to them so the Commission can look at things over the winter to see if there is anything that can be done to help while working on budgets/priorities and a long term solution. Park Tour Recap Chair Hirner stated that he was very pleased as the Commission walked through the parks this year with the work that Public Works has done to maintain the parks. He stated that he thought the parks looked really good and noted that he thinks their list of things yet to do was also not very long. Commissioner Levy stated that she appreciated the openness that City staff had for suggestions that the Commission had and that they were accepted them without any eye rolling. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield noted that she had pulled items from the park tour minutes as things for the Commission to discuss. Chair Hirner stated that the hockey boards are on the list and noted that he believes they got a few extra years out of the boards when they did the painting project. He suggested that it may be time for another painting party if that would be enough to give them a few more years before they have to consider a larger replacement project. He asked if it was too late to coordinate that type of project for this fall so the boards would be ready by hockey season. Planning Director Darling stated that the Carlson Companies arranged for donations of paint and used their own sprayers last time, which really cut down the amount of time it took to complete the painting. Chair Hirner reiterated that he felt doing the painting was a very successful way to buy ‘extra years’ for the hockey boards. He stated that many of the other items of note were more maintenance type items that could be taken care of by Public Works staff. Commissioner Garske stated that he believes that the water fountain may be a significant item because there was a suspicion that the plumbing under the pad was smashed up. Commissioner Levy asked if the City had gotten any feedback on the concession vendor. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield stated that they concluded their season at the end of June. She explained that they are trying to coordinate a meeting in order to connect and see how things went but they have had conflicts with schedules. She noted that regarding the list of items included in the park tour minutes, staff has updated the restroom signage and is checking the grill to remove charcoal when it is used. Planning Director Darling noted that Public Works had some concerns related to charcoal disposal about people handling hot coals and would rather let it sit and cool in the grill and have it removed the following day. Chair Hirner asked about the holes in the nets and if that was something the City could ask the Lacrosse Association to help fix. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield stated that they can certainly ask them. Chair Hirner asked what the City’s policy is on sponsorships or advertising on the fences or hockey boards. Planning Director Darling explained that the way the ordinance reads is that it requires a CUP and is only allowed within Freeman Park. She stated that they have to put up an insurance certificate in case they damage the fence because signage does not allow for air flow. Chair Hirner explained that if the banner type signs with cut outs for air flow were allowed he wondering if that could be something that the City could encourage to help add an additional layer of protection to the fencing and serve as a fundraiser for the associations. Planning Director Darling stated that it would require an ordinance amendment. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield explained that the Lacrosse Association is willing to contribute funds. She stated that she will find out more information and report back to the Commission at a future meeting. Commissioner Garske noted that at Manor Park, the tennis court net is completely destroyed and needs to be replaced. Planning Director Darling stated that they had also asked City Engineer Budde for some cost estimates for the retaining wall so they can include that in the CIP. Chair Hirner stated that before the City replaces the retaining wall they will want to make a determination on what is happening with pickleball courts in that area and potentially combine projects. He noted that something that seemed to come up frequently during the park tour was areas where people felt it would be nice to add picnic tables here and there. He stated that the message received from staff was that they were almost out of available picnic tables. He asked if staff could get a determination from Public Works on what, if any, picnic tables were available so they could plan accordingly in the budget. OLD BUSINESS STAFF AND LIAISON REPORTS / UPDATES City Council Councilmember Callies gave an overview of recent Council activities and discussions that may be of interest to the Park Commission. Staff Park and Recreation Director Crossfield stated that the Concert in the Park event was held last week which had about 130 individuals in attendance and went over very well. She stated that the City has received requests for more concert events next year. She reminded the Commission that Movie in the Park would be held on August 11, 2023 at Freeman Park and on September 30, 2023 will be an Oktoberfest event. She stated that they are looking for volunteers for the Oktoberfest event and reviewed some of the events planned afterwards by the Rotary Club at the American Legion. She encouraged Commissioners to contact her if they were able to volunteer and assist that day. Planning Director Darling reminded the Commission that the Council had asked that the Commissioners attend at least 2 of the 4 major community events each year. Park and Recreation Director Crossfield noted that tonight was Commissioner Levy’s last meeting since she would be relocating out of the City and expressed her appreciation the time she had served. 7. ADJOURN Levy moved to adjourn the Park Commission Meeting of July 25, 2023 at 8:10 p.m. Garske seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0.