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08.26.25 Park Commission Agenda Packet CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB RD PARK COMMISSION MEETING SHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2025 7:00 PM AGENDA 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING ROLL CALL/(LIASON) SCHEDULE A. Roll Call Hirner()____ Garske ()____ Wenner ()____ Bahneman ()____ Sylvester ()____ Council Liaison Gorham (Jan-June) Council Liaison Sanschagrin (July-Dec) B. Review Agenda 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Minutes from July 22, 2025 Meeting 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR This is an opportunity for members of the public to bring an item, that is not on tonight's agenda, but related to the governance of the City of Shorewood, to the attention of the Commission. In providing this limited public forum, the City of Shorewood expects respectful participation. We encourage all speakers to be courteous in their language and behavior, and to confine their remarks to those facts that are relevant to the question or matter under discussion. Please make your comments from the podium and identify yourself by your first and last name and your address for the record. Please limit your comments to three minutes. No discussion or action will be taken by the Commission on this matter. The Commission may request the issue be forwarded to the City Council or to staff to prepare a report and place it on the next agenda. 4. GENERAL BUSINESS A. Parks Master Plan Update B.Concert in the Park Recap C.Safety Camp Recap D.Memorial Bench Program 5.REPORTS/UPDATES A. City Council B. Staff C. Commission 6. ADJOURN Commissioner Bahneman will provide a report on the August 26 Park Commission meeting at the September 8 City Council meeting. Commissioner Hirner will provide a report on the September 23 Park Commission Meeting at the October 14 City Council meeting. CITY OF SHOREWOOD5755 COUNTRY CLUB RD PARK COMMISSION MEETINGSHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY,JULY 22,20257:00P.M. MINUTES 1.CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING Chair Hirnerconvened the meeting at 7:01p.m. A.Roll Call Present: Chair Hirner, Commissioners Wennerand Sylvester; City Council LiaisonSanschagrin; Parks and Recreation DirectorCzech Absent:Commissioners Garske and Bahneman B.Review Agenda Commissioner Wennermoved to approve the agenda as written. Commissioner Sylvester seconded the motion. Motion carried3-0. 2.APPROVAL OF MINUTES A.Park Commission Meeting Minutes of June 24, 2025 Commissioner Wennermoved to approve the minutes of the June 24, 2025,meeting as written. Commissioner Sylvesterseconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0. 3.MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR There were none. 4.GENERAL BUSINESS A.Minnetonka Lacrosse Association Presentation Lindsey Reich, representing the Minnetonka Lacrosse Association, gave a brief presentation that included information on the organization's mission statement, its non-profit status, scholarships, coordination of player and coach development, and financial assistance offered tothose in need. She encouraged the Commission to go to their website at www.mtkalax.org for more information. She reviewed their programming from January through March,which includeswinter dome clinics, training, and co-ed box lacrosse;April through July:there is 8U to 10U competitive league play, and a 6U co-ed lacrosse clinic;and September/October forfall league play. She noted that for the spring league, Badger Fieldis their primary field,and inthesummer,they utilize other facilities in the area, in addition to Badger Park. She outlined details of their participation trends from 2020- 2025and explained that they were very thankful for the relationship they have been ableto cultivate with the City over the last year.She noted that they love the convenience and accessibility of Badger Park and get a lot of positive feedback about the wall ball. She explained that they have a lot of ideas for potential enhancements and noted that this was their first year using the ‘dibs’ program,which meant that every parent has to volunteer or pay two hundred dollars. She stated that they would be a great partner for the Cityor other associations,if they PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY,JULY 22, 2025 PAGE 2OF 8 were ever considering potential enhancements, such as, digital scoreboard, concession stand, permanent storage, netting on the pond side, landscaping to help with mud on the west side, a dome, andthe possibility of additional turf fields. Commissioner Wenner asked for more details on their ‘dibs’ and asked if it was designed to get parents more involved. She noted that the parks have had issues with trash and vandalismand asked if any of the parents had been on the lookoutfor untoward activitiesin the restrooms. Ms. Reich noted that Parks and Recreation Director Czech had been an amazing partner for them and explained that their parents do watch for those kinds of things. She thanked him for sending pictures to her and hasnow started having her parents take pictures and send themdirectly to her. She noted that with the ‘dibs’ program,she would rather have their help and participation in the program than their money. Chair Hirner asked how a sponsorship would workfor the Minnetonka Lacrosse Association because there was nosturdy fence where sponsorshipsigns could be hung. Mr. Reich stated that one of the ways she sees it working would be with a digital scoreboard that would be able to have some signage around it,and listed examples of other fields in the area that have something similar. Commissioners and Ms. Reich discussed ages of their participants, coaching staff, interest in a dome and additional turf fields to be able to grow the program, other turf fields available in the area, the competitive interest of soccer associations also wanting access to turf, difficultywith having enough room to install a dome,plans the City has underway for helping with the mud situation described by Ms. Reich, concession stand/storage/digital scoreboarddesiresfor the Minnetonka Lacrosse Association in comparison with the desires of other associations. Ms. Reich stated that they would loveto be part of future community events in the City, such as field clean-up days or Arbor Day activities, so they have a chanceto invest inthe fields that they already love and appreciate. Park and Recreation Director Czech thanked Ms. Reich and the Minnetonka Lacrosse Association for their partnership with the City. He noted that Ms. Reich has been very responsive when he has asked them to do things like take pictures of the restroomsor assist with keeping noise, lights, and activities near the north end of the field. B.Parks Master Plan Update Chair Hirner asked how many people had filled out the survey. Anna Springer, Project Manager/Landscaping Architect withBolton and Menk, stated that so far, there had been thirty-nine people who hadfilled out the survey. She noted that she believed that if Parks and Recreation Director Czech did another communication blast,it would be helpfuland explained that they decided to leave it open until after the Night to Unite celebration in early August,with the hope of collecting additional responses. Following a brief introductory session where the Commission sharedsome of their reasons for serving on the Park Commission and their vision for the City’s parks, Ms. Springer gave a brief presentation related to the overall goals of the project,project schedule, scope of the project, survey, and a summary of theConcert in the Parkpop-upevent. She noted that they were aiming for City Council approval of the Parks PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY,JULY 22, 2025 PAGE 3OF 8 Master Plan by December of 2025. She noted that Bolton and Menk left the park tour with the overall feeling that the City’s parks were clean, well-maintained, and were not cookie-cutter versions of each other,and shared some of their specific thoughts for each park. Chair Hirner stated that there should be data available somewhere within the City’s files that should show the results of the last community-wide survey that wasconducted related to South Shore Park. Commissioner Wenner asked if she could take some of the cards and place them in local businesses for people to be able to scan the QR code and fill out the survey. Park and Recreation Director Czech stated that he thought that would be fine butwould need to double-check. He noted that the City had placed yard signs in all the parks, at main entrances, and near the playgrounds, whichencourage people to respond to the survey. He explained that he also planned to attend some of the gatheringsaround the City during Night to Unite and encourage people to fill out the survey information. Ms. Springer stated that they were planning to hold one more pop-up event at Oktoberfest. Chair Hirner noted that a frequent comment he has gotten was that older people were interested in someplace to sit in the shade. Ms. Springer stated that they could schedule a senior group listening session. Chair Hirner stated that it was a good idea because there hadbeen athought that the seniors in the City were an underserved population. Ms. Springer discussed their boards and stated that they can make them available to the City for people to give feedback, but suggested that they have a staff member nearby so people aren’t sticking too many stickers on. She suggested that the Commission begin itsconversation tonight with South Shore Park. Chair Hirner stated that the last time the park was discussed, he brought up the idea of horseshoe pits. He noted that his son spends a lot of time in Bloomington,and they have bocce courts and horseshoe pits, but they have ripped out all the horseshoe pits. He asked if horseshoe pits still make sense, or if interest in that activity was on the wane. Ms. Springer stated that it was probablethat interest in playing horseshoes was beginning to wane. The Commission discussed horseshoes;challenges with storing the horseshoes on site;whether people bring their bocce balls to these kinds of courts;focusing on some type of senior use for South Shore park because it is walkable and did not have a lot of parking; possibility of outdoor exercise equipment along a pathway; the possibility of putting in a fountain area where people could sit; traffic sounds at South Shore Park; the possibility of including a dog run, not a dog park; remaining interest from the public in pickleball courts; possibility of a basketball court; concerns related to the proximity of Highway 7; the historic rest area/wall and whether the City could do anything in that area or not; possible addition of stairs/trail in the hilly area; addition of pollinator gardens, when possible; and inclusion of a ‘Welcome to Shorewood’ signserving as the gateway to the City. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY,JULY 22, 2025 PAGE 4OF 8 Chair Hirner asked Council Liaison Sanschagrin if the desire was to have playground equipment at every City park and whether the Council would have any issues if the Commission made a recommendationto go a different direction with South Shore Park. Council Liaison Sanschagrin stated that the Council would appreciate the discussion of whether it was worth replacing or refurbishing it or not. He stated that he believed residents would appreciate the City saving money in some instances and just repainting the equipment rather than replacing everything, which can be very expensive. He noted that he was not sure how much the playground equipment was used and shared an example of him speaking to a family using the equipment, but they were not from Shorewoodand had just come to use it after church. He asked if there mightbe a way to measure how much usage the equipment got. He noted that the question he had about Cathcart was that it was surroundedon three sides by Chanhassen,and asked what other communities haddone in that situation. He stated that he did not know the history of why the City had taken it over and noted that it was also located in Carver Countyand to him, seems more like a Chanhassen park than a Shorewood parkand asked if they may be able to approach Chanhassen about it becoming a joint venture type of parkto help reduce the cost to Shorewood taxpayers. Parks and Recreation DirectorCzech explained that what he had learned from digging through files was that there was an agreement in place beforeShorewood tookit over. He stated that it was believed Chanhassen was not doing a great job of taking care of the park,and Shorewood residents were using it, so the agreement was that Shorewood would do some maintenance, but Chanhassen would still own it,and it was eventually annexed into Shorewood as a City park. He stated that once that happened, Chanhassen communicated to the City that they were not interested in doing any maintenance or capital improvement to the park moving forward. He stated that he met a few months ago with the Chanhassen Parks Director and brought up Council Liaison Sanschagrin’s idea,and was told that Chanhassen has a lot of other projects that would take precedence,and there was not a lot of interest in partnering with Shorewood. Chair Hirner stated that the City had done a half-newand half-refurbishedapproachin Freeman Park South that has turned out well. He stated that he felt this approach had potential for other parks, as well. Ms. Springer stated that they could look into that,butnoted that many times it ended up coming down to insurance and potential liabilityrelated to keeping old equipment around. Chair Hirner noted that he felt the Cityshould have a similar conversation about Freeman Park North. Ms. Springer explained that they would be doing an analysis of the distribution of the City’s playgroundsand comparingthe data from Shorewood to other communities on a per capita basis, including looking at neighborhood parks and community parks. Commissioner Sylvester stated that she was glad to hear that,because what she would like to know is whether the City’s parks are meeting the community needsand taking a look at how the needs may change over the next ten years. She asked that one of the inputs for Bolton and Menk’s analysis would be field utilization percentagesto show whether the City had the correct number of fields to serve the community. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY,JULY 22, 2025 PAGE 5OF 8 Ms. Springer stated that the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)has backed off on making recommendations about the number of facilities that should be provided,per capita, because they recognize that every community is different, but noted that they do still look at this within their analysis. She stated that if the City has data related to rentals and field usage, they can tie that into their analysis, but clarified that they would not collect that kind of data themselves. Parks and Recreation Director Czechexplained that this was a hard thing to quantifyand noted that every association that has addressed the Commission has stated that they need more fields and more space. He noted that the City does have most of the fields rented out throughout the year when they are open. He stated that there may be some increased demand if the City made some improvements to some of the fields. Commissioner Wenner asked about the microplastics in turf and if they impact the environment or leach microplastics. Ms. Springer stated that she did not have hard data on the microplastics in the turf material, but it would be plastic in the environment. Commissioner Wenner explained that she would be amenable to turf in the City parks if she knew there would be an environmentally safe option. Council Liaison Sanschagrin stated that the Minnewashta parks were not covered and asked if there was a way for the City to use those as resources, because they also have quite a bit of land that would be ‘dome-able’. Parks and Recreation Director Czech noted that it was all schooldistrict land,but noted that other communities have had partnerships betweenthe city and the school district, explainingthat this was not something that Shorewood had done in the past. Chair Hirner noted that both public and private schools frequently rent out their fields and facilities for use as well. Ms. Springer stated that it was a good point and they would include those facilities in their mapping and treat them as quasi-public spaces, even though the City did not have input in those situations unless there was a joint powers agreement of some sort. She noted that they should be wrapping up the remainder of their listening session by mid-Augustand stated that once the survey closed, they would provide the City witha full summary of the results. She explained that they would finalize the needs assessment by mid-September and present their preliminary recommendations in October. Parks and Recreation Director Czech asked Ms. Springer to briefly review the stakeholder listening sessions. Ms. Springer explained that they use the listening sessions as a chanceto just listen to the groups so they can share what their needs are, what they were looking for, what they liked, and what they did not like. She noted that they try to separate the groups, such as baseball, football, and soccer, from each other so they are more comfortable speaking freely.She stated that the intent would be a one-hour-longsession where she would give them an overviewand explain why the City wanted to hear from them,and then allow themto give feedback,where they would just listen. She explained that they would provide summaries of all of the listening sessions to the Cityand PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY,JULY 22, 2025 PAGE 6OF 8 would also put together meeting minutes so there would be transparency of what was talked about. C.Park Maintenance Items Parks and Recreation Director Czech noted that in the past,the Commission had taken park tours and made notes ofmaintenance or capital projects throughout the Cityparks. He reminded the Commission that after the 2024 tours, they compiled maintenance items,and throughoutthe year, Public Works has worked to cross items off the list. He explained that this was intended to be a living document that they could update and change, as necessary. He noted that the Commission had chosen to forego the officialCommission-wide park tour this year and conduct self-guided tours instead,and asked them to use this document as a guide as they tour the parks and make notes on their status or if there were any new items. He noted that Mayor Labadie had asked the Commission to include Gideon Glen in their personal tours. He stated that if they can send their notes to him before the August Commission meeting, he can compile them and bring an updated copy to the meeting. Chair Hirner noted that City staff had done a good job of plowing through many of the items that were on the list from 2024and expressed his appreciation for their work and the number of trees that they have planted. D.CIP Discussion Commissioner Sylvester stated that in the maintenance document, there were items codedas number five that were long-term capital items, but there was no line itemincluded in the CIP to capture those,and asked if they should plan for that to be included. She listed off some examples from the maintenance needs list for long-term capital improvements. Park and Recreation Director Czech stated that those things will have to be incorporated into the capital budgetand stated that the things listed were intended to make sure they are kept in mind as they are building the CIPin order to plan for the future. He stated that the overall process will be a bit different this year because they are putting together the Parks Master Plan, so at the moment, they do not know what will be included in the plans for 2026. Chair Hirner gave an overview of how the CIP budget process usually worked and noted that, for this year, he does not see the Commission spending much money becausethe Parks Master Plan has not been completed. He suggested shifting Cathcart Park to 2026 and then,once they see what comes from the Parks Master Plan, they can move ahead and readdress it early in 2026. Council Liaison Sanschagrin stated that he had heard a lot of complaints about how bad the hockey boards were looking. Chair Hirner suggested that they do the same thing they did the last time, and put together a group of volunteers from the community to paint and replace boards. Commissioner Wenner stated that they may also be able to utilize Sentenced to Serve. Park and Recreation Director Czech stated that the relationship between the City and Sentenced to Serve has grown over the last year,and they have worked on various projects throughout the City, so it could be an option to work with themon other projects. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY,JULY 22, 2025 PAGE 7OF 8 There was consensus of the Commission to direct staff to look into putting together a volunteer event, similar to what was done in the past, to repair/paint the hockey boards, including the possible option of working with Sentence to Serve. Commissioner Sylvester asked what ‘Manor Park Surface’ meant in the CIP. Chair Hirner explained that it is for the rubber playground surface. Park and Recreation Director Czech stated that adding the term ‘playground’ to that item on the CIP would be a helpful clarification. Commissioner Wenner stated that she would like to add native plantings and/or seeds to the CIP and suggested that they include a few thousand dollars in this category every year. She noted that she would also like to see some money included for adding educational signage to the parks. Park and Recreation Director Czech clarified that,for right now, the Commission was not going to add or make changes to the CIP and would wait to see what came from the Parks Master Plan. Chair Hirner referenced the tennis court and asked if there may be other surface options that could be considered. Commissioner Sylvester expressed concern with the amount of money it takes to maintain tennis courts compared to the number of people who use the courts. Park and Recreation Director Czech stated that the courts at Badger Park are heavily used. Commissioner Wennermoved to recommend approval of moving the CIP item for Cathcart Park to 2026 after the Parks Master Plan has been completed. Commissioner Sylvester seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0. 5.REPORTS / UPDATES A.City Council Council Liaison Sanschagrin summarized a few keypoints from the Council’s last meeting. B.Staff Park and Recreation Director Czech stated that Concert in the Park was held on July 17, 2025. He stated that they had beautiful weather and estimated attendance of one hundred seventy-five, which is about twenty-five more than last year. He stated that Midco sponsored the event and had a booth set upwith information available for residents. He stated that Parks Bingo is live in July for National Parks and Recreation Month. He encouraged people to complete their bingo cards and submit photos tohave a chance to win a prize. He stated that they have an RFP for a study and task force formation for the Shorewood Community and Event Center (SCEC),which is due at the end of the month. He stated that the intent is to take a closer look at the SCECand do an analysisof the facility in comparison with similar communities and attempt to find a way to get as self-sustaining as possible. He asked if any of the Commissioners present at tonight’s PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY,JULY 22, 2025 PAGE 8OF 8 meeting would be able to do the Council update, because Commissioner Bahneman ended up having a family commitment,so she would be unable to do it. Commissioner Wenner volunteered to give the Council report. C.Commission Commissioner Wenner noted that she attended an online presentation by the Trust for Public Land,who work with communities to securefunding for parks and public land projects. She stated that what she heard during the presentation was interesting and suggested that the City may consider working with them on future projects. She stated that Conservation Minnesota has a professional network for Commissions and stated that if anyone was interested in more information on joining, she wouldforward the information to them. 7.ADJOURN Commissioner Wenner moved to adjourn the Park Commission Meeting ofJuly 22, 2025, at9:27p.m. Commissioner Sylvesterseconded the motion. Motion carried3-0. Park CommissionMeeting Item Title/Subject:Parks Master Plan Update Item Meeting Date:August 26,2025 4A Prepared by:Mitchell Czech, Parks & Recreation Director Attachments: Shorewood Park System Plan Project Schedule, Parks Master Plan Communications & Engagement Report Background The City has continued to proceed through the parks master planning process. The project is currently in Task 3: Community Needs Assessment, which relies heavily upon community input and engagement. The master plan survey went live on June 23. The survey was originally set to close on August 14. However, with around 130 responses on the close datethe project team decided to extend the deadline through August 31 to get as much community input as possible. Typical response rate for similar projects in other communities is around 3-4%, which would be around 240-300 responses for Shorewood. Stakeholder sessions were held on Friday, August 15. City staff took the direction of the Park Commission and worked to get a diverse group of park users. The consultant is summarizing the input received from the stakeholder groups, and a summary will be available in the coming weeks. Groups that participated in the stakeholder listening sessions include: -Field Sports (LacrosseandSoccer) -Diamond Sports (Baseball and Softball) -Seniors (South Shore Senior Partners) -Park Volunteers and Advocates -Residents nearby South Shore Park Staff attempted to engage parents with young children but were unable to successfully recruit a group. However, questions were sent to parents that responded to inquiries and their detailed input will be recorded.Staff is still receiving more detailed feedback from the community and will share with the consultant as it is received. Engagement boards have been displayed in the Shorewood Community & Event Center for visitors and facility users to see and engage with. Staff intendsto have these engagement boards present at the Movie in the Park event on Friday, August 22 as well. The survey will continue to be promoted to ensure maximum participation. A report of the engagement done to date is included in the attachments to the memo. Another engagement event is scheduled during our Oktoberfest on Saturday, September 27. Action Requested No action needed. TIPSFXPPE!QBSL!TZTUFN!QMBO!QSPKFDU!TDIFEVMF NKKBTP UBTL!2 Ubtl!2;!Qpkfdu!Jojujbujpo! UBTL!3 Ubtl!3;!Jowfoupsz!,!Bobmztjt UBTL!4 Ubtl!4;!Dpnnvojuz!Offet!Bttfttnfou July 1 Stakeholder Listening Sessions Concert in the Park Pop Up Event July 17 UBTL!5 Ubtl!5;!Sfdpnnfoebujpot Oktoberfest (materials only) Ubtl!6;!Jnqmfnfoubujpo Ubtl!7;!Gjobm!Qmbo!boe!Bqqspwbmt Npouimz!Tubgg!Nffujoh!)9* Qbsl!Dpnnjttjpo!Nffujoh!)3* Parks Master Plan Communications & Engagement Report Digital Communications Date Platform / Engagement Content Images Audience 6/24/25-Parks Master Views: 165 https://shorewoodmn.gov/634/Parks-Master- 8/13/25 Plan Web Page Users: 84 Plan 8/11/25 Email Sends: 1038 Just 3 days left to take the Shorewood Parks https://conta.cc/ Opens: 660 Community Survey! 4fxXZXk Clicks: 55 This short survey (less than 10 minutes) is one way Shorewood, MN Parks & Recreation is Lists: General, gathering community feedback. Your Park & responses are greatly appreciated and will play Community a key role in creating a park system that meets Center the needs of Shorewood residents. This survey Programs, Park closes on August 14. There will also be an Commission, opportunity for residents to provide feedback SSSP at a community pop-up at Oktoberfest on Saturday, September 27. 8/11/25 City Facebook Views: 105 Just 3 days left to take the Shorewood Parks Reach: 69 Community Survey! Interactions: 0 This short survey (less than 10 minutes) is one way Shorewood, MN Parks & Recreation is gathering community feedback. Your responses are greatly appreciated and will play a key role in creating a park system that meets the needs of Shorewood residents. This survey closes on August 14. There will also be an opportunity for residents to provide feedback at a community pop-up at Oktoberfest on Saturday, September 27. 8/6/25P&R FacebookViews: 36 Time is running out to provide your input to Reach: 20 shape the future of Shorewood Parks! We want Interactions: 1 to hear what you love, what you dislike, and Link Clicks: 1 what you want to see in the parks. Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LRJGVD6 Deadline: Thursday, August 14 This plan is community driven and your input matters. Help us shape the future of Shorewood parks together! 8/1/25Email Sends:908 Subject: August 2025 General News & Events Opens:663 Parks Master Plan Survey Deadline is August 14 Lists: General Clicks (survey link): Help shape the future of our parks and News & Events7 recreation spaces by taking our Parks Master Plan Survey. Tell us missing, and what you'd like to see in the parks. This plan is community driven and your input matters. Help us shape the future of Shorewood parks together! Take the survey... 7/23/25P&R FacebookViews: 204 We Want to Hear from YOU! Reach: 158 Help shape the future of our parks and Interactions: 4 recreation spaces by taking our Parks Master Link Clicks: 6 Plan Survey you'd like to see in the parks! Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LRJGVD6 Deadline: Thursday, August 14 This plan is community driven and your input matters. Help us shape the future of Shorewood parks together! 7/17/25 EmailSends: 692 Subject: Join the fun: Concert in the Park https://conta.cOpens: 430 Tonight! c/44TCFq6 Clicks (survey link): 5 Parks and Rec Master Plan Community Pop-up Lists: Park & Community Also at tonight's concert, we will be hosting a Center resident engagement session to collect input Programs regarding the future of Shorewood's parks. Learn more about the Parks Master Plan Project at shorewoodmn.gov/parksplan. 7/2/25 EmailSends: 693 Parks & Rec Month! https://conta.cOpens: 462 c/4evibZf Clicks (survey link): 8 City Launches Parks Master Planning Process Lists: Park & Throughout the summer and fall of 2025, the Community City of Shorewood will be working through a Center comprehensive park system planning process. Programs This community-driven process will help create a vision for Shorewood parks for the next 10+ s of planning and want your input to help shape the vision for Shorewood parks. Share your thoughts and ideas through an online community survey or in-person at a community pop-up event this summer. Take the online survey Community Pop-up Event at Concert in the Park on July 17 Community Pop-up Event at Oktoberfest on September 27 To learn more about the Parks Master Plan, visit the project page at shorewoodmn.gov/ParksPlan 6/26/25 City Facebook Views: 331 The City of Shorewood is developing a Park and P&R System Master Plan to guide future FacebookReach: 188 improvements to Shorewood parks, programs, and events. We want your input to help shape Interactions: 7 the vision for the next 10 years. Share your thoughts and ideas through the online community survey or in-person at a community pop-up event this summer. Take the survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LRJGVD6 For more information on the park system plan, visit https://shorewoodmn.gov/634/Parks- Master-Plan Print Materials Date Item Engagement Content/Images 7/23/25 Community Park 6 printed Survey Lawn Signs Placed at parks with high usage areas (playgrounds, trail entrances, etc.) 7/23/25 Business Cards 150 Printed 6/26/25 500 Printed Passed out by commissioners and staff 7/8/25 July-August 2,800 copies July is National Parks and Recreation Month ShoreReport printed Did you know that there are more than 160,000 full-time parks and recreation professionals across the nation, along with hundreds of thousands of part-time, seasonal workers, and 2,492 mailed department relies heavily on volunteers to keep our parks looking great, execute special events, and offer valuable programming. Parks Master Plan In 2025, the City of Shorewood will be working through a Parks Master Plan. This community driven process will help create a vision for our parks for the next 10+ years. Coincidentally, master plan takes a look at the current state of our parks system, generates input from the community on what they would like to see, and creates a roadmap for the Parks & Recreation department, Parks Commission, and City Council on how to meet the needs of the community moving forward. The master plan will ensure our park system continues to grow and evolve with the community. Parks & Rec Community Survey We currently have a community-wide survey available for you to provide your input on what you love about Shorewood parks and what you want to see in the future! Please take some time to complete the survey, as your feedback will be valuable as we work to c master plan. Stay tuned for resident engagement sessions that will take place during the looking for a fun way to celebrate National Parks & Recreation Month, try out our Parks Bingo! Parks Bingo offers a fun way for you to experience all of the unique park amenities Shorewood has to offer. Complete the activity in the squares and submit your photos. Once you complete a bingo, you will be entered into a drawing to receive a prize Park CommissionMeeting Item Title/Subject:Concert in the Park Recap Item Meeting Date: August 26,2025 4B Prepared by: Mitchell Czech, Parks & Recreation Director Attachments: Background The 2025 Concert in the Park event took place on Thursday, July 17 at Freeman Park. This year’s event was proudly presented by Midco, the first title sponsor for the event. Representatives from Midco were in attendance to provide information about their services along with some free giveaways to attendees. They also introduced the entertainment for the evening.Members of the parks master plan project team from Bolton & Menk were in attendance to gather input and feedback on Shorewood parks for the project. New this year, local youth bands from Bach to Rock opened for our headlining act, Shalo Lee Band. This provided a wonderful opportunity for youth musicians to share the stage with a well- known local act. Bach to Rock also provided a table with activities for attendees. Both Bach to Rock and Shalo Lee Band are supportive of continuing this addition to the event moving forward. Estimated attendance for the event was on par with 2024 at around 175 attendees. Soft Serve Social was in attendance to serve ice cream for anyone interested in purchasing. Staff intended to have an additional food truck in attendance to serve dinner to those interested. However, staff was unable to secure a truck that could meet the requirements of Excelsior Fire District without additional cost to the City to attend. Having a main course option would be a popular attraction for future events, if available. Action Requested No action needed. Park CommissionMeeting Item Title/Subject:Safety CampRecap Item Meeting Date: August 26,2025 4C Prepared by: Mitchell Czech, Parks & Recreation Director Attachments: Background South Lake Safety Camp has been held yearly in partnership with the South Lake Minnetonka Police Department and Excelsior Fire District. This years camp was scheduled to be held on Wednesday, August 13 from 8:15am – 3:30pm at the Public Safety Building. The camp is open for youth entering grades 3 – 5.In recent years, registration numbers for the camp have continued to dwindle. Unfortunately, this year’scamp was cancelled due to low registration. City staff met with representatives from Excelsior Fire District and South Lake Police Department on July 28 to discuss the status for this year’scamp. At that time only 10 participants were registered for the program, compared to 16 in 2024. 22 total campers were registered for the 2024 camp, and 20 has been the minimum number discussed to run the camp. With registrations tracking well behind last year and minimal traction from strong promotional pushes, the team made the difficult decision to cancel. To increase participation in 2025, staff implemented new marketing techniques. Traditional marketing tactics have included social media posts, peach jar flyers, email distributions, electronic sign prompt, and Shore Report article. A “Save the Date” was introduced following the 2024 camp and was included in promotional materials leading up to registration opening in January. An early-bird registration period was also introduced, allowing campers to save $5 on registration fees if they registered before May 31. Lastly, yard signs were purchased and placed at Parks events and in front of the Excelsior Fire District building. Moving forward, the South Lake Safety Camp team is planning to evaluate the camp to create excitement for years to come. The team is exploring potential partnerships to grow the camp, and City staff has already received a positive response from a potential partner. Action Requested No action needed. Park CommissionMeeting Item Title/Subject:Memorial Bench Program Item Meeting Date: August 26,2025 4D Prepared by: Mitchell Czech, Parks & Recreation Director Attachments: Memorial Bench Standards Background The Cityreceives frequent inquires from park users that are interested in donating a bench, many times to honor a family member or loved one, to our park system. Currently, the City has internal standards for new benches in parks and takes requests on a case by case basis. To ensure clarity, consistency, and maintain park aesthetics, it is important to have a clear public facing memorial bench program in place. Current specifications forbenches areas follows(photos attached for reference): -Bench Style: Deluxe Park Bench -Brand: Kirby Built -Length:6 foot -Slat Color:Brown -Frame Color:Black -Plaque:Cast Bronze, 10.5” w x 3” h, 4 lines, 28 characters/spaces per line, ¼” thick -Base:Bench must be placed on a concrete pad for long-term maintenance and accessibility. Historically, the person donating the memorial bench is responsible for funding the full cost of the bench, plaque, and concrete pad. Cost may vary depending on the construction of the concrete pad and connection to the trail or sidewalk. Quotes from a contractor are needed to determine the full cost.The total cost for a bench with a concrete pad is between $3,000- $4,000. To help streamline placement and estimated cost of a memorial bench, the park commission could identify locations in which a bench may be beneficial to park users. If a park user were to inquire about donating a bench, staff could then suggest these pre-approved locations and have approximate construction costs ready. If the park user had a different location in mind that was not already pre-approved, the suggested location would be brought to the park commission for discussion. Another item to consider as part of a potential program is a tree donation. Park users could donate a tree with a corresponding plaque next to the tree in a park of their choosing. Tree placement would be decided in coordination with Public Works and the City forestry consultant. This will ensure the donated tree is of a variety that is well suited for the location. If a memorial bench and/or tree program is something the Park Commission would like to pursue, staff will continue moving forward in creating formal documents and standards. An application form along with informational materials would be created for the public to view. The formal program would be brought back to a future Commission meeting and would then go to City Council for final approval. If Council were to approve, the Commission would then work to designate locations that would be of value to the public to have a bench placed. Action Requested A motion to proceed with developing a formal memorial tree and/or bench program. The Commission should consider any standards they would like to see as part of the program. A simple majority vote is required.