HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 6, 2019 MinutesCITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS Regular Meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission City Hall 2077 West Larpenteur Avenue
AGENDA May 6, 2019 at 6:30 P.M. A. CALL TO ORDER:
B. ROLL CALL: __X_ Walt Dunlap __Ab_ Ron Eischen _X__ Olivia Demerath __ X Ryan Carlson _X__ Mike Bradbury
__ Ab_ Council Member Leehy __X_ Staff Nalisha Nandkumar, Staff Liaison C. PRESENTATION N/A D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Approval of April 1, 2019 Minutes
Dunlap 1st Motion Carlson 2nd Motion
Motion Passed E. AGENDA:
1. Park Audit a. Curtiss Field
• Parks Commission Members visited Curtiss Field. Findings show that there needs to be an accessible path from the parking area to the
playground. Path diminishes towards field.
b. Community Park
• Park Commission Members continued the park audit at Community Park. Community Park has several items that should be addressed. There should
be more ramped entries in the park. First, leading to the playground and
second, leading from the parking lot to the park. There is also no pathway from the park leading to the basketball court. This causes limited accessibility because the basketball court is on a slight incline with grass surrounding the area.
• The Community Park building also has some issues with the foundation. There are cracks and unleveled concrete surrounding the building. The brick attached to the building is cracked. c. The Grove
• The Grove park needs more ramped entries leading to the playground and basketball court. The dirt path that are currently at the park need to be distinguished. 2. Garden Updates a. Community Garden Meeting
• The Community Garden on April 17th had about 30 people in attendance. Guest appearances from the U of M Master Gardeners Jeanne and Gary.
These volunteers were able to answer questions in regards to compost,
growing season, etc. Representative Shelley from The Good Acre was also able to attend the event. She talked about the services provided at the Good Acre and events. b. Garden-In-A-Box
• Started in 2008, the Garden-in-a-Box program was created by Minnesota State Horticulture Society to teach vegetable gardening to kids so they would eat more fresh produce. MSHS distributes vegetable gardening kits to community groups.
The program provides an opportunity for children and families in need to experience the benefits of gardening: affordable healthy food, outdoor activity, education and community building. It gives childcare providers,
community program coordinators and teachers the chance to incorporate
hands-on learning experiences into their programs.
The City of Falcon Heights will be partnering with the MSHS for the
Garden-In-A-Box Program. Potential sites of the boxes will be placed at Falcon Heights Elementary, City Hall and at Sr. Apartment Complexes. 3. Summer Programs a. REC on the GO
• The City will be partnering with Three Rivers Park District. The Outreach van from Three Rivers Park will be available at a couple of REC on the Go programs. Recreation educators from Three Rivers will participate in 45 minute activities with kids that have the possibility of including
geocaching, fire building skills, make your own flower pot, etc.
• Falcon Heights Parks & Rec Dept. is also exploring the option of providing a healthy snack for free to those that attend the programs. b. Summer Program Coordinator
• The City is currently in the process of hiring a Summer Program Coordinator to assist with summer programming. c. Kubb
• Parks Commission Member, Ryan Carlson, introduced the game Kubb to
the group. It is low impact and family friendly. The game could be played
at any park in the City or even at the green space outside of City Hall. Introduction of the game could start at the City’s event, Spring Together, which is held on June 8th. Further discussion to have the game on a six week rotation to follow.
F. INFORMATION/ANNOUNCEMENT
• The June 3rd Parks Commission meeting will be moved to Tuesday June 11th.
• Commonwealth Terrace Cooperative which is part of U of M housing is holding a community event on May 18th. Parks commission members and Community Engagement members are encouraged to attend to talk about City Events.
G. ADJOURNMENT: 7:58PM
Dunlap 1st Motion Demerath 2nd Motion Motion Passed