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051104 PK MINCITY OF SHOREWOOD FREEMAN PARK TOUR & PARK COMMISISON MEETING TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2004 MINUTES 6:00 P.M. FREEMAN PARKTOUR FOLLOWED BY MEETING 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD CITY HALL The Commission convened their regular Park Commission Meeting following a walking tour of Freeman Park. During the tour, the Commission met the new concessionaire Scott Qualle, who indicated that he was very excited about how things were going, having begun operations over the past weekend. Although he was unsure what to expect the first year, Qualle informed the Commission that he had negotiated a price which could be reexamined the following year. Having read their recent Minutes, Young questioned whether the Park Foundation had abandoned the buy -a -brick program and the plaza proposal altogether for Freeman Park. Chair Arnst introduced Jeff Bailey, a member of the board of directors for the Minnetonka Girls Softball Association, who happened to be visiting the park, and credited him with bringing girls softball to Freeman Park, as well as, providing volunteer workers for the concessions both last and this year. 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING Chair Arnst called the regular Park Commission Meeting to order at 7:42 P.M. A. Roll Call Present: Chair Arnst; Commissioners Davis, Gilbertson, Meyer, Young, and Farmok; Engineer Brown; Technician Bailey; and City Council liaison Lizee Absent: Commissioner Westerlund B. Review Agenda Young moved, Davis seconded, approving the Agenda as submitted. Motion passed 6/0. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission Meeting Minutes of April 27, 2004 Young moved, Gilbertson seconded, Approving the Park Commission Meeting Minutes of April 27, 2004 as presented. Motion passed 6/0. B. Park Commission Work Session Meeting Minutes of April 27, 2004 Davis moved, Gilbertson seconded, Approving the Park Commission Work Session Minutes of April 27, 2004 as presented. Motion passed 6/0. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR — There were none. REPORTS A. Report on City Council Meeting of May 10, 2004 PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2004 PAGE 2 OF 4 Brown reported that the City Council adopted the proposed amendments to the Park Foundation by- laws which eliminated the mandatory attendance of a Park Commission member, but allows them to act as a voluntary ex-officio director to the Foundation. In addition, Brown reported that the Council granted a Phase I grading permit to the Barrington subdivision, to begin the clean-up process for the old Carmichael's site. B.Report on Concessionaire Operations Brown reported that staff was forced to execute and Council adopted the Concessionaire Agreement between the City and Scott Qualle at the Council meeting last evening. He explained that after ongoing negotiations with the City, Mr. Qualle submitted his final offer which required the City to act by May 7t' or lose him as a candidate to run the concessions operation. City staff felt they had two options, both to execute the contract agreement for the $200 rental fee and hope for the best, or lose the potential for concession operations altogether this year. Although everyone would have liked to have had a better opportunity to review the contract, staff felt there was unanimous support to see the concessions open for business. While the contract was not what the Park Commission had hoped for, Brown pointed out that the vendor would be taking over inventory issues and marketing, which would alleviate City staff from handling these responsibilities. Gilbertson asked for clarification of what amount the Commission had hoped for. Brown stated that they had initially asked for around $2,000, but this did not take into account staff time and purchasing inventory. Brown indicated that Qualle has admittedly been conservative in his offer, since the City had a virtually unproven commodity, and was willing to renegotiate the contract the following year. Chair Arnst asked who was responsible for equipment repair and what sort of insurance was required. Brown stated that the City owns the equipment; therefore, is responsible for maintenance. He pointed out that the contract did contain an escape clause, if the vendor were to ask for unrealistic demands with regard to equipment. Brown pointed out that the contract contained an indemnification section and that the City Attorney agreed that, in addition to limited liability, there was balanced risk. In addition, he noted that the vendor has agreed to open his books for review each month. Meyer stated that she was disappointed that this contract was put forth at the last minute. Young indicated that he would have supported the contract even if it hadn't been proposed at the last minute, since it was in the City's best interest to make sure the concessions was up and running. Chair Arnst suggested that the concession operation be put on the September agenda this year to facilitate negotiations further in advance. Brown maintained that the concession negotiations were not put off until the last minute, in fact, he stated that it was unfortunate that the previous contractor backed out late in the process which left the City in a difficult situation. Since Qualle has indicated that he would like to establish a long term relationship, Brown stated that, hopefully, the City can begin negotiations further in advance. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2004 PAGE 3 OF 4 Davis felt that the City should audit sales and product costs each month to ensure that a fair market price or rental and percentage of sales are negotiated next year. Brown pointed out that the vendor had declined the Commission's offer to pay a percentage of the business. Gilbertson stated that it would have been far worse to have the contractor walk away, leaving the concessions to no one. Young agreed that it was more critical to have the concessions open. He understood the vendor's reservations, since he was taking on a risk moving into a one year old unproven operation. While she concurred that the base priority was to have the concession open, Chair Arnst indicated that, going forward, the City needs to be smarter about not giving away the operation. Young urged the Commission not to lose sight of the fact that, prior to this vendor, the City was begging for someone to run the concessions. Lizee reminded the Commission that, last year, City staff and Commissioners spent much time assisting with the concession operation. Farniok commented that it would be advantageous to specify to the vendor certain elements that the City would wish to review monthly, for example the sales and costs of goods and services. DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND MUSIC IN THE PARK GROUPS TO CITY COUNCIL Chair Arnst reported that the committee for the music series had reserved the Paul Cherba Jazz Quartet for June 1 Ph, and the Encampment River Boys for July 9th, and would be pursuing Caribbean Calypso for either the June date or August date if availability and fees can be negotiated. While the Park Commission had funds to finance the cost of the proposed music groups, Brown asked if the Commission was instead pursuing sponsors to cover the financial output. He felt that community leaders and sponsors would love the opportunity to interact at this level in the community. Gilbertson moved, Young seconded, to recommend to the City Council that they approve the Paul Cherba Jazz Quartet for June 11th, the Encampment River Boys for July 9th, both groups not exceed $500, and a third group in August, each of which might include scheduling revisions according to the series needs. Farniok expressed reservations regarding the Jazz Quartet for the June event. She suggested that, if the Commission was considering opening up their purse strings, or using additional sponsorship fees to hire the Calypso group, they might also want to reconsider hiring the jazz quartet in lieu of a host of other new performers. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2004 PAGE 4 OF 4 Motion passed 6/0. With regard to publicity, Chair Arnst stated that press releases would be submitted to local newspapers, newsletter articles would feature the series, and an additional flyer would be dropped to nearby neighborhoods. She asked Brown to approach the vendor about the potential of offering a concession coupon attached to the flyer. Chair Arnst suggested the Commission develop a plan of action to pursue sponsorships. Davis and Gilbertson volunteered to coordinate a plan to approach local businesses with several levels of sponsorship support, for instance $250, $500, and $1,000 for the series. Chair Arnst urged Gilbertson and Davis to act quickly in recruiting potential sponsors, as time is of the essence. Chair Arnst asked the Commission to investigate with the groups what their rainout policies were if the events get cancelled due to weather conditions. PARK ACTIVITY MAPPING Brown stated that he had nothing new to report regarding Activity Mapping. 7. NEW BUSINESS Chair Arnst stated that the soccer banners at Freeman Park need to be removed. Council liaisons: May 24 — Gilbertson June 14 - Meyer July 26 - Farmok ADJOURNMENT Young moved, Gilbertson seconded, Adjourning the Regular Park Commission Meeting of May 11, 2004, at 8:40 P.M. Motion passed 6/0. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Kristi B. Anderson Recording Secretary