HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.4.24 Park & Rec Minutes1 | Page
CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS Regular Meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission
City Hall 2077 West Larpenteur Avenue MINUTES November 4, 2024 at 6:30 P.M.
A. CALL TO ORDER: 6:34 PM
B. ROLL CALL: Mike Bradbury__X___ Eric Brenton__X___Tom Faust__X__ Bob Haight__X___ Wesley Goldberg__X___ Erin Williams__X___
COUNCIL LIAISON: James Wassenberg ___X____ STAFF PRESENT: Kelly Nelson___X___ _
C. PRESENTATION: N/A D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1. October 7, 2024 – Parks and Recreation Regular Meeting Minutes
Williams motions to approve the Park minutes; approved 6-0
E. AGENDA:
1. Recap Fall Event Commissioners talk about Fall Fest overlapping with the event Gibbs Farm held. Ultimately, it
was a non-factor; people seemed to attend one or the other but not both. Therefore, the commission discussed moving the 2025 Fall Fest up a couple of weeks in hopes that weather would be less likely to impact the event. The weather was perfect this year, but commissioners
and staff discussed how it may impact the event in future years and what a backup plan looks like.
Wassenberg says that Falcon Heights Elementary has two gym areas and they’d likely accommodate inflatables. He says that having the event two weeks earlier might be a good idea. Staff will reach out to the school prior to the 2025 event to determine if they would be a willing backup location in case of inclement weather. Bradbury asks if the event would be held at City Hall again in 2025. Staff mentions that the location worked well. It was also nice having the 75th Anniversary celebration indoors beforehand because it gave people a reason to go inside, sit and warm up. That was nice! Staff adds how they would like to grow the event to also include Community
Park for a trick or treat trail but that it will take more volunteers.
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Faust emphasized community engagement and outreach to grow the event. He suggests adding Punt, Pass and Kick to the fall event and adds that maybe the Lions could help us with it.
Bradbury suggests making it seem even more fall-like with activities. He suggests folk music and bobbing for apples in some capacity. Goldberg says that one way to have a more hygienic bobbing for apples would be to use a claw / trash-grabbing device. Brenton suggests moving arts and crafts inside in 2025 Goldberg mentions crafts that were offered in Spring Lake Park.
2. Begin Setting 2025 PARC Goals The commission reviewed the goals set in 2024 to see what was accomplished and to serve as a starting point to begin developing goals for 2025.
Brenton says that in many cases, it’s a simple word change. For example, one 2024 goal is “Develop a small-scale event.” This event ended up being Fall Fest. Brenton suggests an updated goal for 2025 to state “Maintain attendance at all City events.” Haight says he would like the commission to help build a playground at Amber Union. Commissioners state that there is a playground there but are unsure of the size and how it’s utilized. Bradbury asks whether either Amber Union or Falcon Town Square have their own neighborhood liaisons based on the size of the buildings. He adds that perhaps community outreach isn’t the
Parks and Rec’s goal since the Community Engagement Commission does a lot of that work. Bradbury then suggests annual meetings with the other commissions. Brenton says that perhaps each commission should create and share their annual goals list, which Wassenberg agrees with.
As commissioners discuss additional commission goals, Goldberg suggests exploring community sponsorships for events. So far, the commission has identified the following goals for 2025 to be further developed and finalized at a future meeting. 1. Maintain attendance and continue growing City events. 2. Collaborate with the Community Engagement Commission to promote events and expand our reach. 3. Continue holding PARC commissions regularly, with a quorum.
4. Maintain a PARC event /agenda calendar 5. Assess ice skating season to make a decision for 2026 by early spring. 6. Implement suggested programming changes and assess 7. Make recommendations of amenities and improvements of all parks through annual park audits.
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Information/Announcement Staff says that the commission will discuss the Community Park playground at the December meeting. And, at a future meeting, the Community Garden should be discussed, as the wait list remains somewhat long for a plot. G. ADJOURNMENT: 7:44 P.M. Faust motions to adjourn the meeting; Approved 6-0