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102390 PK MIN CITY OF SHOREWOOD COUNCIL CHAMBERS PARK COMMISSION MEETING 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1990 7:00 PM MINUTES CALL TO ORDER Vice Chairman Andrus called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Vice Chairman Andrus, Commissioners Lindstrom, Vogel, Dzurak, and Wilson; Administrative Assistant Niccum; Council Liaison Watten and Park Planner Koegler Absent: Chairman Christensen and Commissioner Laberee SHOREWOOD SNOWMOBILE CLUB - DONATION OF SERVICES Cindy Ellis appeared on behalf of the "Shorewood Snowmobile Club". They would like to donate their services to the City of Shorewood for fall and spring clean up of the Shorewood Trail. They will donate their time, personnel and the trash bags in an effort to keep the trail a valuable asset for all of Shorewood's residents; walkers, hikers, bikers, horseback riders and snowmobilers alike. They will clean the trail and bring the trash and debris to Shorewood's "Spring Clean-Up" collection point in the Spring. They will also bring it to a fall collection site designated by the City. Ellis said if the City accepts their services, it would be nice, but not necessary, if a sign, such as those used on highways, recognizing their group's efforts in keeping the trail clean, were posted, and it would be greatly appreciated. Dzurak moved, Vogel seconded, to recommend to the Council that the offer made by the "Shorewood Snowmobile Club" to clean up the entire "Hiking and Biking Trail" in the Spring and the Fall be accepted contingent upon Public Works Director Zdrazil's approval; and that a letter be sent to them thanking them for their offer. Motion carried - 5/0. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Lindstrom moved, Wilson seconded, to approve the minutes of Tuesday, October 9, 1990, as corrected. Correction: Date of minutes approved on October 9, 1990, should be Tuesday, August 28, 1990. Motion carried - 4 ayes/1 abstain (Andrus-not present ) SHOREWOOD PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1990 Page two REFERENDUM DISCUSSION Park Planner Mark Koegler was present. He said he attended the Council meeting last night. There are two things the Council wants the Park Commission to do, finalize the Park Capital Improvement Program, and get organized for a potential referendum. He said the Park Commission needs to take a look at the Park Capital Improvement Plan they have come up with; prioritize what has been done; individually and collectively, and have it ready to present to the Council within a month. Koegler reviewed his memo of October 10, 1990, where he summarized some preliminary thoughts on the possibility of a park referendum, a general calendar of events, assignment of responsibility, and a "referendum organization" chart (see attached). Andrus (who was not present at the last meeting) said he noticed in the minutes that there was a question regarding postponing the referendum for a year or two due to the present economy. He asked Koegler if he felt the climate was favorable at this time to attempt a referendum. Koegler said the indicators are bad at this time - they could get better - they could get worse - his suggestion was to start now, and decide in 60 days whether or not to continue. Watten said three members of the Council also discussed this, but decided to start, as it is a step by step process and can be stopped at any time. His opinion was that the outlook of the economy appears moderately positive at this time. Koegler said he is moving ahead on two things: the City Overall Trail Plan and finalizing the Neighborhood Park Plans. The Commission discussed trails. Lindstrom and Dzurak feel the trail plan is extremely important, it links parks and neighboring communities together. Watten and Niccum mentioned the positive reaction to the completed "Hiking and Biking Trail. Koegler said an expensive trail system throughout the community could cost as much as 1.5 million dollars. Watten said the trails will vary in length, size, and material. Wilson said it would be wonderful to have a "fantasy" trail for 1.5 million dollars, but it is important to be realistic, and it all depends on what the taxpayers want. Watten felt that volunteer help could be used (i.e. spreading woodchips), and this would help keep the cost down. Lindstrom said he thought Minnetonka had 35 miles of trails, they do loops in their trails. He said he feels some people will object to trails, but the majority will like them. SHOREWOOD PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1990 Page three Dzurak questioned what to do in presenting the park and trail plans to the neighbors in the S.E. Area. The Commission discussed various things that can be done to make it as safe as possible for children from neighboring areas to reach the park. They discussed a "sidewalk" from the park to Vine Hill Road, speed reduction in the area, and a crosswalk at the stop signs. An overpass was also discussed. Koegler said children use the path of "least resistance" and it is very doubtful that they would even use an overpass, overpasses are not aesthetically pleasing, and they are very costly. Safety is an issue the Commission will work on, and they will also ask the neighborhood for input regarding safety. Koegler said it is important to form neighborhood groups and meet with them to present the initial ideas. The idea of using the newsletter to present another questionnaire was also discussed. Dzurak said the questionnaire for Silverwood Park worked well. The Commission feels it is important to present the costs to the taxpayers. Dzurak asked if it could be figured per $1000 of evaluation. Watten feels the cost has to be broken down for the individual, as well as the time period...20 years? 30 years? The Commission discussed the property the City owns on Enchanted Island. There are 3 pieces known as Park 1, Park 2, and Park 3. They will look into this. Shady Island has a large piece of property in the center, but this property is owned by the Shady Island Association. The Commission discussed contacting various homeowners associations (i.e. Christmas Lake, Amesbury, Boulder Bridge, Covington Vine Ridge, Waterford). Koegler will return with more detailed information. REPORTS Park Liaison Watten reported that the Council approved: Park Planner to do Citywide Trail Plan The Council approved an amount, not to exceed $3500, for Park Planner Koegler to proceed with the Citywide Trail Plan. SHOREWOOD PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1990 Page four Ballfields - Kelly. Reeler. and Lindstrom The Council approved naming the three new ballfields at Freeman Park. They will be named: Kelly Field....after Frank Kelly for 25 years of service as City Attorney, Keeler Field....after Bill Keeler who started the Park Commission, and Lindstrom Field....after Gordon Lindstrom, the City's longest serving Park Commissioner. Warming House Flooring The Council would like to have Staff check into rolled flooring instead of squares, to see if it would be more cost efficient. Watten also said he has talked to someone about this since the Council meeting. The Company has had some problems with rolled flooring and does not recommend it for this use. He will be getting some samples of "Toughtex" from the company. Manor Park Warming House/Trailer The Council approved rental of the trailer, and purchase of a telephone. Badger Warming House The Council approved OSM's cost estimate Alternate B) Masonry/Concrete Curb Option Construction Costs $8,525. Engineering Costs $3,700. to fix Badger warming house. SHOREWOOD PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1990 Page five Freeman Park/Tonka Men’s Club/Little League Field A preconstruction meeting was held on October 22 with Mr. Perkins, the contractor. Their plans are to try to: 1. Finish the grading 2. Finish installing the irrigation system 3. Install the fencing 4. Seed by November 15, 1990. Storage Building - North End - Freeman Park The Council approved $2000 for a storage building to house the controls for the irrigation system. They will make a decision later on the storage box for the South End. Although the Park Planner recommended wooden structures, the Council approved concrete. This was done because of the seclusion in Freeman Park, and to prevent vandalism. Transformers Koegler informed the Commission that NSP will install the transformer in the North End by Wednesday, October 31. The transformer for the South End will be installed by November 4. Irrigation - North End Andrus asked about the ridges in the turf. Koegler said they should be alright by Spring. An amount will be held to cover any problems. One of the Commissioners asked about warranty. Koegler said he didn't have the figures with him, but he thinks it is 1 year for labor, and 5 years on the sprinkler heads. The Commission also asked Park Planner Koegler about the possibility of damaging the heads by mowing. Koegler said the heads should deflect the mower. He said if there is a concern, the heads can be spray painted so they can be avoided. SHOREWOOD PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1990 Page six Aeration of Fields The Commission discussed whether Freeman had been aerated this year. Vogel thought they had, because Manor was done, and they usually do all of them at the same time. Staff will check with Zdrazil. Ballfield Scheduling Lindstrom said that the Excelsior Softball League has always managed Excelsior's fields using all volunteer labor. This is getting to be too much work. He said he was under the impression that Shorewood did not want to be responsible for managing the scheduling either. He, Todd Strot, President of the Excelsior Softball League, and Jim Jones, of Community Services have met and discussed this problem. Community Services has offered to help. There will be more meetings, and he will report back to the Commission at that time. Discussion on Methods of Raising Money for Parks The Commission discussed several ways to raise funds. They asked Niccum to put an article in the newsletter asking residents to "Adopt a Picnic Table" possibly as a Christmas present. They discussed a "Fall Festival" more along the lines of Excelsior's "Apple Days". They also discussed sleighrides this winter in Freeman Park, along with bonfires. They will discuss this at greater length. ADJOURNMENT Lindstrom moved, Vogel seconded, to adjourn the meeting of Tuesday, October 23, 1990 at 9:30PM. Motion carried - 5/0. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED Susan A. Niccum Park Administrative Assistant