HomeMy WebLinkAboutJuly 9, 2026 Park and Rec Commission Special Meeting Minutes1 | Page
CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS Special Meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission
City Hall 2077 West Larpenteur Avenue MINUTES July 9, 2026
A. CALL TO ORDER: 6:31 PM . ROLL CALL:
VACANT _____Tom Faust (Vice-Chair) __X___Katie Merriam __X___ Robert Haight__X___ Jerry Buckridge__X___Naomi Loud - Heinsch__ea___Chuck Long__X__ COUNCIL LIAISON: Randy Gustafson __X__
STAFF PRESENT: Kelly Nelson__X___ C. PRESENTATION: D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1. May 4, 2026 – Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes Buckridge motioned to approve the minutes; approved 5-0 E. AGENDA: 1. 2026 Park Audit Findings and 2027 Budget Planning Haight suggested purchasing a bike rack at Curtiss Field, and commissioners added that The Grove would also benefit from having one.
Faust recommended a privacy screen be installed surrounding the portable restrooms at both Curtiss Field and The Grove.
Buckridge mentioned a lack of trash cans near the BBQ areas in all parks.
Nelson stated that food scrap/recycling/trash systems are borrowed from Ramsey County for events and Callahan thought Public Works could construct something or the city should purchase a set. Long highlighted the basketball court at Community Park is in need of resurfacing. Nelson mentioned that all park signage needs to be updated, both to include the establishment of some newer park rules (no cannabis/vaping, for example), and to update the city logo with the
current one. Faust pointed out that the picnic shelter nearest the existing playground at Community Park is
rusting a bit and due to be sandblasted and painted.
2 | Page
Nelson will ask next steps regarding Phase II of construction at Community Park and how best to
budget for the resurfacing of the basketball court. 2. 2026/2027 Ice Rink Discussion Public Works Director, Colin Callahan, explained the maintenance challenges of using an ice rink liner due to tanks underground, which prevent flooding and overflow of water at Curtiss Field. The tanks may impede water from freezing evenly. And, the liner must have snow cleared in a more delicate fashion to prevent tearing it. In addition, the liner cannot be reused, so there is an
environmental and financial aspect to consider. Faust wondered if there is a way to reduce the effort for the same payoff.
Callahan felt “we’re there” by removing the liner.
Long wondered if the rinks were worth doing since we had just seven days of skating in 2025, for example. Haight motioned to move away from using a liner under the ice in the upcoming season; approved 5-0 3. Park Facility Policy Long states that we are unsure what our demand for park facility reservations will be and suggests keeping our refund policy as is (based upon whether more/less than 14 days from event). Gustafson suggested adding a sign to the splash pad area with rules.
Haight is concerned that there are a lot of things that cannot be done, which may deter birthday parties.
Nelson will take feedback, look at a few more examples of park rental rules, and bring a revised draft to the August meeting. 4. Exercise Circuit Equipment Nelson brought exercise circuit equipment other Minnesota cities had recently installed as a price and vendor comparison. Buckridge shared that the current exercise circuits are from Par Course Fit Circuit and require less maintenance than some of the examples shown. Merriam talked about current exercise equipment usage observed at Community Park and what is used more heavily.
Long wanted more information as to what the equipment does rather than bringing more designs.
Haight wondered if we could poll users as to what they want.
3 | Page
Commissioners directed Nelson to identify a couple of vendors in Sourcewell to seek proposals
from for $40K in equipment and bring to a future meeting. Information/Announcement Haight requested a Les Bolstad Community Advisory Committee (CAC) update from Loud-Heinsch at the August meeting, and the initial discussion of a park/playground for the future development. G. ADJOURNMENT: 9:25 P.M.
Long motioned to adjourn the meeting; Approved 5-0