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08.27.2024 Park Commission Meeting Minutes CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB RD PARK COMMISSION MEETING SHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024 7:00 P.M. MINUTES 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING Chair Wenner convened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. A. Roll Call Present: Chair Wenner, Commissioners Garske, DiGruttolo, Bahneman; City Council Liaison Callies; Parks and Recreation Manager Czech; and Public Works Director Morreim Absent: Commissioner Hirner B. Review Agenda Commissioner DiGruttolo moved to approve the agenda, as written. Commissioner Garske seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission Meeting Minutes of July 9, 2024 Park and Recreation Manager Czech reminded the Commission that the minutes were completed by an outside vendor, TimeSavers. He stated that they had contacted him following the meeting and explained that because of the topics of discussion, she had felt it may be a good idea for them to have a full representation of their discussion. He noted that typically the meeting minutes would not be that long or detailed. Chair Wenner stated that she felt the minutes were really well done and had captured much of what was discussed at the last meeting. Commissioner Garske moved to approve the minutes of the July 9, 2024 meeting, as written. Commissioner Bahneman seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR Barry Brown, 6050 Burlwood Court, stated that he had read over the sponsorship information put together by Park and Recreation Manger Czech and noted that while he understood that this should be offered to Shorewood businesses first he wondered why the sponsorship opportunities had not been opened up to residents as well. He stated that the City refers to Smithtown Ponds by that name but questioned if it was actually a park and asked if it was an extension of Freeman Park or some other park. He stated that he had recently sent a communication to Mayor Labadie but was not sure if everyone had seen it and explained that when the City had applied for the DNR grant for buckthorn removal part of the grant said to ‘designate a land manager’ for the park. He stated that the land manager was designated as Jammi Ladwig of Bolton and Menk and noted that a land manager should be someone who actually manages the property and makes decisions about it. He stated that it appears that the City needed to get some paperwork taken care of in PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024 PAGE 2 OF 9 order to make sure that Bolton and Menk does not have any rights to make decisions on behalf of the City for Freeman Park in relation to the 18 acres of the buckthorn area. He stated that he would leave this information with the Commission. Park and Recreation Manager Czech offered to make copies of Mr. Brown’s information and distribute it to the Commission. 4. NEW BUSINESS A. Invasive Species Management Plan Parks and Recreation Manager Czech explained that in the 2024 Work Plan, it was outlined that they needed to focus on the natural areas within the City. He noted that part of the natural areas included invasive species such as buckthorn, Canada thistle, and purple loosestrife. He explained that these have been identified as being problematic within the City’s park system and also in the public rights-of-way, so staff had developed a draft of an Invasive Species Management Plan (ISMP) as a way to outline some strategies and practices to help minimize their overall impact. He noted that the ISMP was a living document and would be adjusted and changed as they learned more, the guidance or priorities changed. He explained that the hope is for the ISMP to evolve into a full Vegetation Management Plan in order to aid in managing vegetation resources through all of the City’s public spaces and rights-of-way. He explained that this document was just a draft and would like to get feedback from the Commission on what they think about it. Commissioner DiGruttolo asked if staff had looked to see how this would align with the City’s BeeSafe policies. She stated that she believes she saw some recommendations in the ISMP that use some herbicides recommended by the DNR, which she felt may be against the certification for the BeeSafe city designation. Parks and Recreation Manager Czech explained that the recommended control methods were not necessarily what the City would do, and was just an info-graphic of what is recommended by the DNR. He stated that he believes the draft plan states that the City would not use any herbicides or treatments, so even though that was what was recommended by the DNR, the City would be straying away from that, in order to align with the BeeSafe policies. Commissioner DiGruttolo suggested including a paragraph or two about the BeeSafe guidelines in order to tie the two things together. Council Liaison Callies stated that the City is not totally a BeeSafe City and the current resolution says that the City will ‘reduce’ chemicals, so there may not actually be a conflict with this plan but would agree that this should be clarified. Commissioner DiGruttolo asked if there was an estimate for some of the future opportunities so they can address them for the budget within their CIP planning. She explained that if they had some estimates they could try to put that in for future budget years. She stated that she felt some of the things outlined in the ISMP were great ideas and would like to start working towards being able to purchase some of the equipment that was mentioned. Public Works Director Morreim stated that they were currently testing some of the equipment in order to see how it worked before they include anything within the CIP. He stated that the majority of what was included would actually be staff time or other resources and the hope is that the PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024 PAGE 3 OF 9 majority of their funding will come through maintenance funds. He stated that they are going through their first fall season in the area was removed last winter/spring and noted that there has been a lot of regrowth, but it is much smaller than it was. He noted that, in general, he did not really want to be in the ‘buckthorn business’ but essentially he is already, so staff was working through the fact-finding phase of trying to find the most efficient ways it can be handled with current resources and looking to see what others may be available. Commissioner DiGruttolo asked what items may be on Public Works Director Morreim’s wish list. Public Works Director Morreim stated that he has been in contact with the County regarding some possible staffing resources and explained that he was hoping it may be a good option to be able to have the County come in for certain ‘projects’ in the City because that would give them the option to be a bit more flexible and efficient. Commissioner DiGruttolo asked if staff had identified who would be responsible for exploring grant opportunities for additional buckthorn removal and also for possibly expanding staffing through the County. Public Works Director Morreim stated that currently he was the one responsible for working on the possible staffing expansion through the County and noted that responsibility for grants was somewhat undetermined at the moment, but felt it would most likely either be himself or City Administrator Nevinski. Commissioner Garske stated that he liked the overall draft ISMP and also liked that they called out, multiple times, that buckthorn was hard to control. He explained that he likes the overall idea of reducing chemical use, however, if the City needs a manpower multiplier, he may support limited use of chemical treatments with necessary research. He stated that he also liked the concept of having volunteer events at some of the smaller parks in order to help manage them. He stated that he would like to be able to have an idea of what the City wants it to be, for example, in 5 years, once they have the buckthorn under control and maintained. He asked if the thought was whether that would be the point where a volunteer force may be able to step in to help. Chair Wenner stated that she had just watched a video which was recorded a year ago by Mike Schuster who has test plots in Freeman Park. She noted that within the video he talked about the same issue that Commissioner Garske had just raised about the importance of continued maintenance and noted that his best idea that he felt had the most hope was revegetation of the forest floor. She stated that was not covered very much in the draft plan and asked staff to add that element into the document. She offered to send a link of the video to anyone who would like to also watch it and noted that she felt that this approach would offer an excellent opportunity for volunteers because there are a lot of gardeners in the City that would be able to contribute plantings. She asked if this was a document that was only for use within the City or if it would also be available to residents and noted that she felt that there was a lot of great information in this plan. Public Works Director Morreim stated that once it is finalized and adopted it would be a public document. Park and Recreation Manager Czech stated that when this plan was formalized it would be something that the City wanted to promote to the public. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024 PAGE 4 OF 9 Chair Wenner stated that she would also add garlic mustard to their list because that is one of the first things that moves in after buckthorn removal and sends out chemicals that will kill other plants. She stated that creeping bellflower has also become a huge issue because each one can produce 10,000 seeds. Public Works Director Morreim explained that the City has weed inspectors and noted that what had been included in the plan were ones that staff had identified. He stated that this was a living document to changes can be made as they identify things. Chair Wenner asked how the weed inspector gathered their information. Public Works Director Morreim explained that there were two staff members who receive training every year in order to be certified. He stated for private property or public property when they get a call they can go out and identify them and move through the steps. Chair Wenner asked if that meant that residents could contact the weed inspector. Public Works Director Morreim stated that he will have to double check that and make sure he stated it correctly. Chair Wenner asked if the weed inspector gets information from SeeClickFix and if staff would like people to report infestations that way. Public Works Director Morreim confirmed that people can report it through SeeClickFix or by e- mailing or calling City staff. Chair Wenner stated that overall, she felt the ISMP was fantastic and thanked staff for the work they put into its creation and that they were able to take the BeeSafe policy into consideration as well. Commissioner Garske asked if in Freeman Park there may be a way to essentially protect the borders and be super vigilant on things starting to come into the park. Public Works Director Morreim explained that it was tough to control but noted that if they are identified they can try to deal with them. He stated that it was challenging to deal with any species, without treatments because the reality is that they will all come back. He stated that with regard to re-vegetation, they did plant some trees and other plantings but noted that they did not know how many years the City would need to actively remove the buckthorn without treatments. He stated that he was expecting them to go 3-5 years with removal. He referenced a similar project in Minnetonka that had used treatments and where they had just planted 10,000 trees in the area but reiterated that they were only able to do that because it was completely bare because they used treatments. He explained that was one of the reasons they were not putting a huge focus on this right now because the City will be in this same removal mode for many years. Commissioner Garske stated that another way that may help get the community involved, outside of volunteer events, was by using signage using the graphics from the report. He gave the example of identifying the information on signage and encouraging residents to help the park by pulling out weeds and would also encourage them to also do this at home as well. He noted that it would be interesting to know if anyone had done home inspection grants for invasive species PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024 PAGE 5 OF 9 and shared an example from when he moved into his house and his personal pride in reviving a large dying plant in his yard that turned out to be buckthorn. Chair Wenner suggested that they look into having more resources available on the City website and reiterated that she felt much of the information included in this plan was helpful information that she would like residents to be able to access. B. Smithtown Ponds Feature Naming Parks and Recreation Manager Czech shared some of the background information related to the City’s purchase of a parcel located at 26245 Smithtown Road from the Schmid family for use as a stormwater storage facility. He stated that it has been commonly referred to as Smithtown Ponds and explained that the Schmid family would like to install a sign on the property calling it “Pebble Brook Farm” which is what the family had always called the property. He noted that when the City accepted the park bench donation from the Schmid family there was a recommendation for the Park Commission to discuss establishing a recommendation for this action/request. Staff is recommending that the Smithtown Ponds have signage and be named “Pebble Brook Farm” in honor of the Schmid family. He noted that these ponds are intended to be stormwater facilities and staff did not feel that it should be added onto Freeman Park. Commissioner DiGruttolo stated that she felt naming this area in honor of the Schmid family was a great idea. Commissioner Garske stated that he liked the idea but was concerned that the name may mislead people because it would essentially just be a path through the drainage ditch. Mr. Brown spoke from the audience and suggested that in addition to the naming sign, they also install a plaque underneath it that says that the Schmid family had sold the City this parcel and it was named in honor of what their family had called it when they came to visit. Chair Wenner stated that she agreed that it may be a good idea to provide some type of clarification on the signage as suggested by Mr. Brown. Park and Recreation Manager Czech noted that the Schmid family had already donated 1 bench and there was still another one coming which included covering the cost for the concrete pad and the plaque. Commissioner Bahneman asked how far apart the 2 benches would be from each other. Park and Recreation Manager Czech stated that he would guess that they will be about 50 yards away from each other. Commissioners discussed the name, possible confusion by using the word ‘farm’ in the name, preferred location for placement of the sign, and whether they intended to have this be something that would be searchable on Google Maps. Park and Recreation Manager Czech stated that since the Commission appeared to be thinking of changing the name a bit from what the family had originally requested, he suggested that he have a conversation with the Schmid family about the Commissions ideas and the thoughts about PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024 PAGE 6 OF 9 the potential confusion about the use of the word ‘farm’. He stated that he will plan to bring this item back on a future agenda after he had spoken with the family. C. Parks and Recreation Sponsorship Program Parks and Recreation Manager Czech reviewed details of the proposed Parks and Recreation Sponsorship Program and explained that in an effort to promote sponsorship for Parks and Recreation programs and special events, staff had developed a guide that offered different levels of sponsorship opportunities as a way to help the City offset some of the costs for the various events. Commissioner DiGruttolo stated that she thought the proposed program guide looked great and asked if staff already knew what the cost of each event would be so there is a target number for sponsorships. Park and Recreation Manager Czech stated that he has been able to pull some of that together based on previous budgets. Commissioner DiGruttolo asked if there may be future iterations that have opportunities to allow the businesses sponsoring an event to also provide food or swag as well. Park and Recreation Manager Czech explained that with the various levels, he does have things like having a free sponsor table at the event in order to promote themselves or their organization, but noted that if they would be doing any selling, that would need more discussion of the details. Chair Wenner stated that she agreed with Mr. Brown’s earlier statement that it would be nice to open up these opportunities to individuals as well. Park and Recreation Manager Czech explained that this would be more geared towards a corporate sponsorship campaign, but agreed that they could have a separate individual sponsorship opportunity as well. Commissioner DiGruttolo asked who was responsible for the signs and banners for the ballfields. Park and Recreation Manager Czech stated that those were done through an agreement with Minnetonka Baseball. Commissioner DiGruttolo stated that she felt this was a great idea and a way to get local businesses involved. She encouraged staff not to forget about the non-profit entities and suggested that they be able to offer them reduced sponsorship levels. Commissioner Garske asked about the impact of a logo versus a business name because it looked like that was really the only difference between the Gold and Silver levels of sponsorship. Park and Recreation Manager Czech explained that he had taken this from surrounding cities and what they were doing. Commissioner Garske suggested that the Silver level have a limit on the number of free tables that they can have at the City events, rather than allowing them to have one at all events, in order to separate them further from the Gold level of sponsorship. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024 PAGE 7 OF 9 Park and Recreation Manager Czech noted that because this was something new to the City, he expects that they will be revisiting it, especially over the next few years as they see what actually works for the City. Chair Wenner asked if the City may be able to use this for Oktoberfest. Park and Recreation Manager Czech stated that he felt that it was already a bit too late for Oktoberfest and explained that the goal would be to get this out and promoted in time for Arctic Fever. He noted that he was informed by the City Attorney that the City cannot actively go into businesses and pursue them for sponsorships, so it will be important that they get the word out via the website, events, or social media. Commissioners discussed levels and inclusion, possibility of calling the third level Bronze instead of Contributing, and mentioned some typographical errors that they found. Park and Recreation Manager Czech suggested that the Commission send him any typographical errors that they found in the guide. Commissioners pointed out some different formatting and footnote options, the inclusion of complimentary hours at the Community Center, adding this into the table so it is not lost, and inclusion of directions on what should be done after they finish filling out the sponsorship form. Garske moved to recommend approval of the 2025 Sponsorship Guide, as amended, per discussion. DiGruttolo seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0. D. Concert in the Park and Safety Camp Recap Parks and Recreation Manager Czech stated that Concert in the Park took place on July 11, 2024, at Freeman Park and Safety Camp took place on August 7, 2024, at the South Lake Minnetonka Public Safety building. He gave a brief overview of attendance and feedback related to both events and outlined future considerations that he felt the City should take in account for future event planning. Commissioner DiGruttolo stated that if the idea was to open things up for Safety Camp next year, for example, the City of Chanhassen, there will have to be some thought put into the advertising so it has a wider purview. She stated that she felt it was a really good idea to open it outside of the City boundaries because there are probably numerous communities that do not have their own safety camp. Commissioner Garske asked if there had been a reason that the Safety Camp was not already opened up to people outside of the City. Park and Recreation Manager Czech noted that in years past, the event has filled up, but didn’t think there was a ‘rule’ about it and noted the general feeling was that they would just prefer to have the event full. Commissioners discussed advertisement or partnership opportunities with the Minnetonka Community Ed catalog. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024 PAGE 8 OF 9 E. Badger Park Oktoberfest Preview Parks and Recreation Manager Czech outlined some of the planned activities that will take place during the upcoming Oktoberfest event and noted that the City was partnering with the Excelsior Morning Rotary and the Excelsior American Legion Post 259. He stated that the City essentially will host the ‘family friendly’ version of the event at Badger Park from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on September 28, 2024. He reviewed the activities that are currently scheduled and explained that the activities will transition over to the Excelsior American Legion from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. where there will be live music, adult beverages, and food options. He stated that they are looking for volunteers to help with the event and encouraged anyone interested to contact him. Commissioner Garske stated that he had attended last year and thought the face paint artist did a great job, but since there was only one person, there was quite a long which took a while to get through. He stated that he really liked that it was a free event, but would have been willing to pay a few bucks to help offset the costs either. Park and Recreation Manager Czech noted that the same face painting artist would be coming back this year and had also given the same feedback about the length of the lines. Commissioner Bahneman and Chair Wenner offered to volunteer at Oktoberfest. The Commission expressed their appreciation to Park and Recreation Manager Czech for the work and information that was included in this meeting packet and that it had been sent out the Friday prior to the meeting. 5. OLD BUSINESS 6. STAFF AND LIAISON REPORTS / UPDATES A. City Council Council Liaison Callies gave a brief overview of the discussion and decisions that took place at the August 26, 2024 City Council meeting and answered Commission questions. B. Staff a. September 10, 2024 Park Commission Meeting Park and Recreation Manager Czech stated that their next meeting is scheduled for September 10, 2024 but noted that Chair Wenner would be out of town on that date and asked if the Commission was still interested in meeting on that date. Commissioner Bahneman stated that she would also be out of town on that date. Park and Recreation Manager Czech suggested that the Commission cancel their September meeting and just meet as planned in October. There was consensus to cancel the September 10, 2024 Park Commission meeting. 7. ADJOURN PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024 PAGE 9 OF 9 Commissioner Bahneman moved to adjourn the Park Commission Meeting of August 27, 2024 at 8:34 p.m. Commissioner Garske seconded the motion. Motion carried 4-0.