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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPARC Agenda Packet 10-2-23CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS Regular Meeting Parks & Recreation Commission City Hall 2077 West Larpenteur Avenue AGENDA October 2, 2023 at 6:30 P.M. A. CALL TO ORDER: B.ROLL CALL:Jeff Yager_____ Mike Bradbury_____ Eric Brenton_____Paula Mielke_____ Tom Faust_____ Randi Lundell_____ COUNCIL LIAISON: James Wassenberg _______ STAFF PRESENT:Kelly Nelson_______ C.PRESENTATION: D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1.August 7, 2023 - Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes E.AGENDA: 1 Fall Event Discussion F.INFORMATION/ANNOUNCEMENT1.Progress Report – 2023 Park Audit Update G.ADJOURNMENT: BLANK PAGE  1 | Page CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS Regular Meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission City Hall 2077 West Larpenteur Avenue MINUTES August 7, 2023 at 6:30 P.M. A. CALL TO ORDER: 6:34 P.M. B. ROLL CALL: Jeff Yager__X___ Mike Bradbury__X___ Eric Brenton__X___ Paula Mielke__X ___ Tom Faust__X___ Randi Lundell_____ Mike Tracy___X__ COUNCIL LIAISON: James Wassenberg __X____ STAFF PRESENT: Kelly Nelson___X____ C. PRESENTATION: D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1. June 5, 2023 - Parks and Recreation Commission and Community Engagement Commission -Joint Meeting Minutes Commissioner Yager motioned to approve the minutes; Approved 5-0 (Mielke was not yet present) E. AGENDA: 1. Recap Summer Programming; Discuss Fall Programming Nelson updates commissioners on summer programming, sharing how a follow-up survey was emailed to parents to gather feedback. Staff notes that the majority responded that they were not willing to pay more in order to enhance the quality of the program. But, then when asked if they would register again, the majority said that they would not AND that they would look to a larger surrounding city such as Roseville or St. Paul instead, which do charge more. Tracy says that he thinks sports participation is just down, in general. He feels we should stop trying to offer these programs. Bradbury says that we’ve been watching our programs decrease for a while now and that he always goes back to the commission’s duties; one of them is to assess the needs of the community when developing recreation plans. Bradbury goes on to say that maybe we need to change along with the times and rather than offering the same programming that has to be planned so far in advance and needs staff hired for, we use our facilities in different ways. There are a lot of kids in the community that are interested in activities but not traditional programs. 2 | Page Nelson said it’s been interesting and nice to see adult courses going so well and hopes to expand those types of offerings as well, such as possibly offering a future Introduction to Pickleball class. Faust mentions seeing kids crossing outside of crosswalks to get to the basketball courts at Curtiss Field and thinks a basketball court would be nice to have at Amber if they would be willing to put up some hoops at the back part of the unused lot. He wonders if the city should approach them in some way. Wassenberg says it would be a bit more involved because they’d have to put up fencing to contain the basketballs from traffic. Nelson says she will continue conversations with Roseville and the St. Paul Blackhawks but that it may not be in time for fall programming. Wassenberg says staff should prepare a few scenarios for Roseville to consider. Commissioners encourage staff to keep the conversation going to determine our options for spring at least, since it looks like fall programming will probably not be offered. 2. Fall Event Bradbury tells the commission that we’re picking back up with the discussion as to whether or not we should have an event this fall. And, if so, to decide the date and location. Mielke asks if the Community Engagement Commission would want to partner with us again. Nelson says she’s not sure if we should have a joint meeting with CEC to help choose the date. Or, if we would just invite CEC to a future joint meeting to determine their involvement and how they can help enhance the event. Wassenberg says that an event that lends itself to community, communication and interaction should involve CEC, whereas a sports day with a 5K within the park may not require as much involvement from them. Bradbury is still in favor of the fall event promoting The Grove. The pickleball lines have been painted on the court now. And, he adds that we had previously talked about it being more of a musical fall festival. Brenton suggests we do a singer/songwriter so that it’s really easy to put on and the setup is simple. Nelson feels that The Grove does add a little bit of a challenge because there is not a lot of on-street parking and attendees may find themselves crossing Larpenteur to get there. Mielke suggests a series of small events such as pickleball, Roseville’s Puppet Wagon, etc. to bring people to The Grove park. Bradbury says that our other city events are only two hours long. So, that may not be so disruptive to residents near The Grove. He reminds the commissioners that 3 | Page Commissioner Tracy had previously shared an interest in hosting a 5K as a component as well. Tracy explains how you could accomplish a short run with all age groups through the park and/or the nearby area without going on the streets and needing to involve traffic control from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. He thinks we could offer something very safe and very inclusive to non-runners alike. Wassenberg agrees that laps within Community Park and off roadways would make it a lot simpler to staff and put on. Brenton and Bradbury discuss the area that encompasses Community Park and the U of M fields adjacent to it, suggesting that area would make a nice lap area for a race. Bradbury says that a fun run could be held in the area of Community Park but perhaps additional festivities could take place in The Grove. We could run a shuttle bus between the parks. Brenton suggests having a food truck. Bradbury asks when runners would typically run a 5K and whether a morning would be best. Tracy said the heat wouldn’t be as much of a factor if we had an event in early September. Brenton wonders if we could have the event at the end of September or even October to allow more time to plan. Yager shares that the Twin Cities Marathon is the first week in October. Nelson says she’ll research other fall events in the immediate area to avoid having our event on the same date/time. Brenton suggests reaching out to local businesses like Good Acre to sponsor the fall event. Bradbury suggests that maybe we don’t have a fall event this year but spend the time preparing for next year; 30 days doesn’t seem like enough time to plan and promote one! Similar to the park audits that the commissioners just completed, Bradbury suggests that the commissioners complete fall event audits, taking notes from other fall events and gathering ideas for our own event next fall. He mentions a fall feast that Good Acre has and wonders if we could partner with that or link in with Gibbs Farm or Bell Museum to make it into one bigger event. Nelson mentions that we can also properly budget for the fall event next year, as opposed to finding the funds this year. Commissioners will take notes of fall events during the month of September instead of having a commission meeting (Labor Day). Then, discuss their finding in October. 3. Park Audit Findings and Suggestions 4 | Page Nelson thanks the commissioners for auditing the parks and says that each of them found something new that another person hadn’t necessarily seen. The data was compiled and divided into two categories: one list includes simple improvements that can be made by Public Works and the other list includes items to consider purchasing/replacing in 2024. Yager mentions that the playground edging is broken and sharp at The Grove and it was omitted from the list that Nelson had compiled. Nelson will update the list to include Yager’s suggestion and any others that were erroneously omitted. Mielke asks if a pickleball net could be purchased under our current year’s budget like basketball hoops and soccer nets. Nelson says that a pickleball net would most likely have to be budgeted for in 2024, dependent on the quality of the net and its expense, as they can run anywhere from $200 to more than $2,000. Her thought was maybe to get through this winter and then find a net in the spring. This would also allow a bit of time to observe court usage. Mielke asks if money could be budgeted for in 2024 to offer something at Curtiss Field for older kids / teens. She suggests doing a focus group with neighborhood kids to get their input and mentions Gaga Ball pits becoming popular. Wassenberg said he sees Gaga pits on elementary school playgrounds or geared towards that age group. Nelson asks if the balls for Gaga are specific to the sport or if residents would easily be able to supply their own to play. Wassenberg doesn’t think the ball is necessarily specific to the sport and it seems similar to a rubber kickball. Bradbury says that he was just in Sweden and saw outdoor ping pong tables there that had curved edges. Kids were kicking soccer balls over the net. He wasn’t sure if that was the intent of the tables or not, but saw them everywhere. Brenton says that he thinks that’s what those tables are intended for. They are lower to the ground than ping pong tables. Bradbury says that Four Square is always popular at Spring Together. Maybe we look to add that. He adds that he loves when a park has a huge chess board, too. Nelson asks if kids would play soccer at Curtiss if there were larger nets left out permanently there. Bradbury thinks they would play soccer and that the kids shifted over to basketball because he hasn’t been getting the soccer nets out lately. Commissioners discuss soccer nets and conclude they will leave out the existing small nets to determine if they get much use and also hold up. Yager suggests getting one of those spider web-like monkey bars/climbing areas like they have at the Bruce Russell park in Roseville. 5 | Page Since the exact item has not been determined, Mielke asks if some money can be put into the budget for a TBD item in 2024. 4. Sleeping in Parks Discussion (The commission reviewed current city responses from St. Paul and Minneapolis to support individuals experiencing homelessness and then discussed the City of Falcon Heights’ current response). Yager asks if there has been an incident that caused this to be brought up. Mielke shares that she asked for it to be discussed because she was aware of an incident of someone sleeping at Curtiss Field one Saturday. It made her wonder how we would respond as a city; how would we approach it? Nelson shares how the city responds currently and says that the city is asked weekly if there are any known unsheltered persons within the city by Housing Stability in Ramsey County. If there were, Housing Stability would then make contact and offer emergency shelter resources to them. Bradbury asks if the city’s current response is published anywhere and Nelson says that she just typed it up for the commission’s discussion. Bradbury suggests sharing the information in an upcoming newsletter, even if it’s just a line to two to summarize. Yager adds that the city’s current response should be shared so that residents know that it’s okay to call and let the city know about unsheltered individuals. We’re here to help! Nelson says she will include a summary in the weekly newsletter. 5. Tobacco and Cannabis-Free Parks (An existing city ordinance and current city code bans tobacco smoking from with city parks. The commissioners felt that the ordinance and city code may contain outdated language and may also need to be updated now to include cannabis. A draft of an updated ordinance and proposed updates to city code to ban cannabis use in parks were both included in the agenda packet and reviewed by the commissioners). Mielke suggests having updated and consistent signage in every park. Tracy suggests keeping the new park signage very simple: no smoking of any kind! Nelson shares that current signage at The Grove says, “Tobacco-Free Grounds. No tobacco use on this park property.” The sign does not currently have the city logo on it. Commissioner Yager motioned to approve the ordinance draft and proposed changes to City Code with the consideration of adding e-cigs under the Purpose section (Sec. 34-55) of the final updated version of City Code; Approved 6-0 F. INFORMATION/ANNOUNCEMENT 6 | Page 1. Grove and Curtiss Court Painting Update Commissioners say the paint looks nice but haven’t been by the parks again to see anyone enjoying the courts yet. Nelson shares one other update about a grant she heard of one day before the application period closed. She submitted applications to receive a park bench at Curtiss Field and seven benches at Community Park. She has since heard that both grant applications were approved! City Council will now have the bench grant contract on their 8/9/23 agenda to give consent to. Nelson says the Ramsey County Be Active! Be Green! folks were great to work with on the grant application and approval process. Mielke asks for an Ice Cream Social update. Nelson reports that we had 650 ice cream treats to hand out this year (as opposed to 350 last year) and were only left with 30 treats! Tracy says he did think it was much better attended than last year! Mielke asks if we gathered any additional feedback during Ice Cream Social for the upcoming reconstruction at Community Park. Nelson responds that we did get feedback but feels it will be even more impactful when we have a budget and more details to provide to the public. Wassenberg shares one last update that the Ruggles Pathway pavers were installed last week and look great! G. ADJOURNMENT: 8:29 PM Commissioner Yager motioned to adjourn; Approved 6-0 BLANK PAGE  REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION City of Falcon Heights, Minnesota __________________________ Item Discuss surrounding area events and what a potential FH fall event might look like in order to make a recommendation for 2024. Description The commission had previously discussed how the winter event, Snowstravaganza, has been cancelled multiple years in a row. The weather often plays a role in this. And, attendance is often low as well. The Parks and Recreation Commission would like to discuss the potential for hosting a fall event in its place and to host it sometime in 2024 . PARC will collaborate with and receive additional input from the CEC if they want to at a later date. For now, PARC will discuss what this event might look like to better budget for the event in 2024. Budget Impact TBD Attachment(s) Area fall events; Fall event calendar Action(s) Requested Staff recommends commission members continue the conversation and begin to discuss which activities they would like to offer, consider how much the event might cost to put on, etc. Meeting Date October 2, 2023 Agenda Item E1 Attachment Discuss Potential FH Fall Event in 2024 Submitted By Kelly Nelson, Administrative & Communications Coordinator Como Park –Oct. 7 Harvest Festival Pie Baking Contest Hello Como Bakers!Thanks for your interest in our first Harvest Festival Pie Baking Contest.Please fill out the form below to let us know what type of pie you'll be baking for our contests. Pie will need to be brought to Tilden Park by 2:45pm on Saturday, September 10th.We will provide sample cups and spoons for you to portion out your pie & tables for the sampling.Contest will be judged by community members with ballots to vote for their favorite pies (both in the sweet and savory categories) and the winner will be announced in the Como Community Council newsletter on Friday, September 16th. Winner will get a gift card to Hot Hands Pies! Roseville Wild Rice Festival •Saturday, September 16 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM •A celebration of wild rice, the Minnesota fall season and Native American culture. Other highlights might include: •Native American dancers •Children's games and activities •Hands-on apple cider pressing •Storytelling and other live entertainment •Traditional wild rice harvesting and honey extraction demonstrations •Wild rice soup, fry bread and other tasty treats for sale •And much more! •(Gibbs Farm was involved in the past and may still be) Roseville Parks - TAPPED & UNCORKED Friday, September 22 from 6:00 to 10:00 PM Held at Roseville OVAL outdoors Free Human Foosball ROSEVILLE TAPPED AND UNCORKED SPONSORS ROSEVILLE TAPPED AND UNCORKED SPONSORS Roseville Halloween Spooktacular •Saturday, October 28 from 1:00 to 4:00 at Harriet Alexander Nature Center. •Spook-tacular guarantees family fun for all. Join in on spooky games, crafts, and a trunk-or-treat. •Pre-registration required. *Adults and children under one are free •Registration opens September 5 •Sponsored by Raising Cane’s City of St. Paul -Fall Events List Gibbs Farm •Apple Festival is on September 30 from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM •Halloween Trick or Treat Trail is on October 28 from noon to 6:00 PM; no further details yet online. The Good Acre •Harvest Party was not yet listed for 2023 (as of 8/14). In 2022, it was held on Friday, October 7 from 5:30 to 7:30 over at Gibbs Farm. •* Did not list on our event calendar since I cannot confirm the event is happening in 2023. Twin Cities Oktoberfest-MN State Fairgrounds –October 6 and 7 DESCRIPTION •Celebrate with friends & family in the best venue for Oktoberfest in the historic Progress Center! Stop by for Minnesota craft brews & ciders, tasty local food, traditional Bavarian dancers, music, merchandise vendors, and more! LOCATION •Progress Center HOURS •Friday: 5-11 p.m.Saturday: noon to 10 p.m. ADMISSION •Admission to the event is free, but a wristband is required for alcohol.Discounted beer tickets, collectible half liter mugs, wristband packages & more available while supplies last at TCOktoberfest.com. Wristbands will also be available at the door. For more information, visit tcoktoberfest.com. ROSEVILLE VFW POST 7555 –September 23 •Live music •Raffles •Silent Auction •Food and drink St. Paul Fire Foundation Oktoberfest for First Responders –September 24, 2023 Marketober at Malcom Yards –October 1 OUTSIDE FH AREA -STILLWATER HARVEST FEST October 14 and 15 Highlights of Harvest Fest: •Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off •Pumpkin Drop from 100' crane •Pumpkin Regatta –”Pumpkin Pilots” paddle giant pumpkins down the St. Croix River •Live Music •Beer & Wine Garden –They sell keepsake mugs and your first beer is included. •Chili Cook Off –$12 in advance/$15 at door; sample from several local restaurants and vote for your favorite. •Vendor Market –Food trucks, clothing, jewelry and more. •Kid's Activities-Free activies (pumpkin bowling) as well as ticketed inflatables. Costume parade. OUTSIDE FH AREA - STILLWATER HARVEST FEST October 14 and 15 BLAINE EVENTS Ideas to start discussion / help outline FH event: •Ramsey County Library used book sale •Live music •Lions sell popcorn / beer? Discuss role. Maybe day starts with pancake breakfast and role shifts as day goes on. •Sell Mugs –Maybe a beer mug and a coffee mug are available. •Invite orchard to sell mini donuts/bags of apples, etc. •Pumpkin patch •Pumpkin carving contest •Watch a Halloween movie in the park •Hay rides from one park to another •Pumpkin bowl (football game with pumpkin) •Bonfire •Medallion hunt •House decorating contest •Kids’ costume parade –Trail of Treats •Kids’ activities –pumpkin bowling, face painting, pick a pumpkin and decorate it with paint/crafts. •Beer/wine/ NA cider, pop, etc. •U of M fields involved? Fairview field is 95% harvested as of 9/25. One patch of corn remains but it’s way over by residential area near Snelling West homes. SEPTEMBER 2023 OCTOBER 2023 www.calendaroptions.com SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Roseville Wild Rice Festival 10 AM-4 PM 17 18 19 20 21 22 Roseville Tapped and Uncorked 6 PM-10 PM 23 Roseville VFW 5 PM-9 PM 24 St. Paul Fire Foundation Oktoberfest 12 PM - 5 PM 25 26 27 28 29 30 Gibbs Farm Apple Festival 10 AM-2 PM SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 Marketober at Malcom Yards 1PM -5 PM 2 3 4 5 6 TC Oktoberfest at Fairgrounds 5 PM - 11 PM 7 Como Park Harvest Fest 3-5 PM TC Oktoberfest at Fairgrounds 12 PM - 10 PM 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Stillwater Harvest Fest 10 AM -8 PM 15 Stillwater Harvest Fest 10 AM -6 PM 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Roseville Halloween Spooktacular 1 PM -4 PM Gibbs Farm Trick or Treat Trail Noon - 6 PM 29 30 31 BLANK PAGE  REQUEST FOR ACTION City of Falcon Heights, Minnesota __________________________ Item 2023 Audit of Parks – Progress Report Description The PARC did not have a commission meeting on July 3 and opted to use the time to conduct park audits, individually, throughout the month instead. The purpose of the audits was to compile a list of improvements to be considered in 2024 and to allow Staff to budget appropriately, with such improvements in mind. Staff is sharing tasks Public Works has already completed and purchases made in the 2023 calendar year so that the commission is better informed what tasks and purchases remain to work towards completing in 2024. Budget Impact TBD Attachment(s) Updated List of Suggested Improvements to Show Various Completions Action(s) Requested None. Staff simply wants to share updates on the completion of various tasks and purchases that were noted during the July 2023 Park Audits. Meeting Date October 2, 2023 Agenda Item F1 Attachment Park Audit Findings -Progress Report Submitted By Kelly Nelson, Assistant to the City Administrator PUBLIC WORKS RECOMMENDED MAINTENENANCE (red indicates completion) CURTISS FIELD Remove weeds and seed areas with excessive wear / brown spots. Trim trees hanging over north sidewalk, along Idaho and overhang over the pavilion. Public works has completed. Trim dead branches from the maple tree in front of the playground equipment. Remove birds’ nests in the pavilion. The see-saw and steering wheel on the playground equipment have loose bolts. Tighten them. Fill large divot lawn by playground equipment (behind portable restroom). Add mulch under one swing Hockey rink area creates brown spots on the grass. GROVE Repair Little Library - this was placed there by residents in the Grove; best to let them handle. Consider trimming mulberry bushes over slide Bolt missing on workout equipment piece. On the handle that is attached to the bench near the basketball court. COMMUNITY PARK Playground area has weeds and needs mulch filled, particularly in the area of the slide. There are ground wasps living in the sand box Some weeds along fence of basketball court and in baseball field infield. Parking lot has potholes -Public Works patched the lot. Consider moving small ash trees in the area around the pond while they are still small enough. Fix sign that’s leaning on the “Par Course Fit Circuit” The accessibility ramp to the SW picnic pavilion rises up off the ground and moves when you step on it. Consider trimming mulberry bushes or trying to remove stains from mulberries on exercise equipment. The sit up bar is broken and moves. Bird’s nest behind building in the general area the band performs in during Ice Cream Social. 2024 CITY BUDGET RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENTS / ADDITIONS CURTISS FIELD Consider replacing missing tether ball and explore options to prevent theft of new ball. Ball is estimated to cost $25-$30. Consider replacing basketball nets (balls get stuck). Estimated to $14-27 each. Consider adding a timer to lights. Consider adding something for upper to middle school students (i.e. GaGa pit). GaGa Pits range from $2,000 for an inflatable version to over $7,000. Are there tobacco-free signs posted? If not, consider adding Consider adding a bench near the basketball court - City received a grant to add a bench here. Will be there by summer 2024. GROVE Consider adding a park rules sign. Consider removing and replacing two Vita Course pieces of workout equipment and their signs (outdated and broken) Consider removing/replacing two wooden benches. City may swap two of the nicer ones in Community Park, once those are replaced by summer 2024. Consider replacing playground equipment and adding something for older kids. Consider purchasing a pickleball net Consider adding a trash can near the front of the park and a portable restroom if pickleball adds more non-neighborhood park users. Consider replacing basketball nets. COMMUNITY PARK Consider replacing trail signs Consider placing a bench on the east side Consider having dog poop bags near trash bin. Consider offering ADA portable restroom Consider replacing basketball nets. Estimated to $14-27 each. Consider replacing nets on soccer goals. Estimated $215 - $400 Consider replacing bench with broken seat back along the path. Consider replacing playground equipment (parts are broken or no longer functioning. The Merry-go-round and monkey bars have rust and chipping paint. The chain ladder is broken on the bottom. There are rusty and sharp edges near the slide. When park improvements are made, consider swapping location of gardens with basketball courts (near residential area). Baseball field backstop has tears. Consider adding something so tennis balls cannot roll under the fence on the courts so easily at the east entrance.