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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRCAgenda_94Feb14d F P PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION Monday, February 14, 1994 7:00 p.m. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY HALL AGENDA A. CALL TO ORDER: B. ROLL CALL: Benson Nicholson Schugel Thatcher Weinand Weisberg Kriegler Gibson Talbot C. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES OF: January 10, 1994 D. REPORTS, REQUESTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: C-1. Discussion on posible community and neighbor-based indoor playground C-2. Discusson on possible bicycle safety rodeo C-3. Roseville Area High School request for use of Community Park tennis courts ADJOURNMENT N COMMISSION ~~ "- +~` ~~ '~4 PARKS AND RECREATIO k._ ~~ f~,,, ~w MEETING MINUTES 1/10/94 Members present: Jackie Benson, Jyneen Thatcher, Alan Weinand, Carol Weisberg; Carol Kriegler, Parks Director; and Sue Gehrz, Council Liason. Approval of minutes from_,.11/8/93 meeting was tabled, as copies were not included in agenda packet. D-1: Welcome was extended to Jackie Benson and Alan Weinand, the new commission members. Jackie lives in the Maple Knoll area, near City Hall and Community Park; Alan lives near Falcon Heights School. D-2: Dead of Winter Inspirational Event. Carol K. led a planning discussion for the 3rd annual Dead of Winter Inspirational Event CDWI). Date for this carnival will be Sunday Feb. 6, from 2-4 PM. As in previous years, kids games, open skating, refreshments Ccookies and hot chocolate), and the traditional treasure hunts Ceggs and toupee) will be included. Depending on weather and ice conditions, snow sculpting or a skating instruction clinic will be offered. Jyneen offered to write treasur= hunt clues. Publicity will include flyers distributed through FH School, Brimhall School, and St. Rose School along with newspaper -.-r.ouncements and use of the city sign board. Commission members are asked to arrive at 1:30 to help with set-up. ~-3: City ice skating rink update. Carol K. gave an update on the status of the city skating rinks. It was a late season start, with the attended rinks opening after Christmas. The weather was too warm for making ice earlier in the month. Many of the rink staff are returning employees, both rink attendants and flooding personnel. The warming shelter at University Grove Park was finally installed on 1/10, following an extremely late delivery. It is positioned directly under the light and receives good security lighting. The new activity light and timer was installed on a pole northwest of the rinks. The timer functions as planned, with a button-push activating the light for one hour, with no lighting after 9 PM. The light provides good coverage of both the pleasure rink and the hockey rink, and takes about five minutes after the button-push to reach full power. Carol K. has received only one comment so far regarding the light, and it was a positive reaction. Carol K. received a bid for a sound system for Community Park, which was more expensive than anticipated. Carol will have Public Works staff look into alternatives, as well as getting other bids. An ideal system would provide music for skaters or year-round activities, as well as loudspeaker for announcements. Unfortunately the building design doesn't allow an easy and secure place for the equipment. The Commission agreed that a long-term solution should be sought rather than an interim system for the up-coming Winter Event. Warming house hours are weekdays 4-9 PM, Saturday 10-9, and Sunday 12-9. Sue mentioned that we may see a decrease in teen use of the rinks this year, as many teens will undoubtedly be going to the new Oval with their friends. Carol W. expressed appreciation for the skill of the "beginning level" skating instructors. She suggested adding adult skating lessons to next years recreation program schedule, perhaps in a loose clinic form. The Commission feels this would be a good addition, especially in considering the number of non-skating parents in our community. Jyneen Thatcher, Secretary Falcon Heights Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Date: 2/14/94 Agenda Item: C - 1 CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ITEM DESCRIPTION: Discussion on possible community and neighbor-based indoor playground SUBMITTED BY: John Hustad, Councilmember EXPLANATION/SUMMARY: Councilmember Hustad is interested in exploring the possibility of establishing a community or neighbor-based indoor playground and play groups. He presented a proposal to the council at its January 26, 1994 meeting. The council has referred the idea to the Parks and Recreation Commission for further discussion and exploration. ATTACHMENTS: (a) article titled "Indoor Playground" (b) article by Liz Rosenberg (c) article titled "Where Moms Meet" c)1~21r94 L.39 $6?2 296 3698 STATE PL,4C~C~l C(c; INL`OOR PLAYGROUND {~(j2 C~ Unlike children of school age, recreational and social e7pportumities for pre-schoolers, and just as importantly, their parents, axe scarce in Falcon Heights. An indoor playground {a large room with toys,, games, and simple play equipment) provides a plane fox parents to bx,irig ~.n:~ants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers to play together and get to know one another. 7Cn addition to meeting t3ae needs of the children, it reduces parental isolatio~z and connects them to their neighbors and they become resources to cae another. The City alsrs benefits from an increased sense of community gained from the participants of the playground and those who support it_ The idea for an indoor playground in Falcon Heights was inspired by pro~QCts in Amherst, xew York and Binghamton, Piew York, both northern cities that experience winter weather conditions similar to Minnesota. In each case, however, the indoor play grounds remain open year around because of their popu3arity. ~=xroza. 1v~W YoR~_ The indoor playground in Binghal-uton drew out of a 7nothez's frustration with "cab~.t~ fever. ^ After contacting the mayor's office and being referred to the parks and recreation director, Liz Rosenberg succeeded in starting the "Play House." It is a big carpeted room, divided into active and quiet areas with some toys, books, furniture usable by both cb.a.Zdzen and adults. It operates four hours a day, five mornings a weak and is open to children five years and younger. It is located in a spare room in a school building. The city provided $3, 500 in discretionary funds for equipment and $6,5fld in salaries to keep the project running smoothly. Eecause of the need for approval by the school board and other issues, implementation of the playground took a little over a year. "We decided to organize the room into separate play areas. We placed the baby area - soft toys, a huggable activity rug - in front of park benches, where parents could relax between playing and swooping. Adjacent to the baby area is the quiet area, with tables and chairs, where grc7wn-ups and children share art supplies, books, toys and puzzles, A play kitchen. stands nearby. Tie set up the active area in the back ccsrner of the ropzp, roped off with safety nets. it's equigped with huge rubber balls, play mats, and foam rubber animals. Close by is a slightly less frenetic climbing-and--sliding area - a few climbing pyramids and blocks, some padded mats, a four-seater rQC3cing towboat that doubles as a footbridge when turned over, and a sturdy wood slide - safe for toddlers but acceptable for alder children too. one corner of the room is occupied by the mast popular toy in the roam, the sand table. much of the kitchen equipment - pots, brooms, and cups - winds up here. When kids grow tired of the sand table, they can wander a fPw u a e atheater,tha make-believe corner, Which features a p pP chalkboard and a storefront all in one. The Play Hose is open five days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p-m- All children must Yee accompanied by an adult, no admission fee is charged and two parks department employees provide staffing. There is a limit of 15 cnilizre~i at one tiYne and parents are ~encoura~ged to call ahead to reserve an hour of play time. No fee is charged. ~~~~Tr NSA YORE. In Amherst, one roam of a communit3t center was reserved for a play-and-leax'ning center. The room was fixed up with donated caxpetinq and financial contributions. Parents who use the facility are respansi.ble for cleaning and staffing the center. Money was raised by the paxent group to buy equipment and liability insurance. The parents discovered and used various talents among them (marketing, resource development, teaching, healthcare, strategic planning) to make the project a success. After the f7.zst year 150 families were using the center. While both of these indoor playgrounds serve their communities well, the attached articles show how they differ in location, funding, and operation. They demonstrate the issues tohu~ varao s be resoZv$d as well as different models for carrying acts of the project. ,T,ggaES B'OR DISCUS$IcN- Listed below are same of the issues that need to be addressed for an indoor playground to be established in Falcon Heights. II#3AaB Limited to residents or open to alt? Rge restrictions? ReQervations? STAFFING/HDIIRS GF OPERATIOBi Parks and Recreations Departzaent? Parent volunteers? others? FUNDING FOR sET UP AND ~II=SST City support' Fundraising? Donations (wish list)? User fees or membership? GuYDNLINSB who develops policy? Parks and Rec? Parents Advisory Board? Combination? LI1~IHILITY Would insurance be necessary? Are there other 1.ega1 issues? PAIt,TidEbtBHIPS Are partnerships with the schflol systese. acceptaHl~? C`~-) Y '-} `, , r ` :~aa~r ars ~'~^ex. ~-~•.•-•-au~s:_~-..r..:rxzs.:.r~,:c_~:-sar_:~.-.e~+:V^z~.r-~~~:~~.~^.:svy^~:.n-~*rx.>.:.a_~-.:::.r-s..:.-~;cxniz~~+cecsa-..•~. :s,~..'^aicxe~w::,tn~~ -,--^ ._ ~ _ Hoy-v one r~~ozher Learned up v~/iin ci~y ofiiicials to beat cabin fevi?r. By L iz Ros~z berg --_-~-.~.s _ --~-~- --~-.-- - -- - - -,- `` ~ ~: ' _, / ~ __~ ` f v - -2 ~ i~ ` -, -'- .y~ C ~ ~- t ~ --4 _ - y ~ ~ ~ c' ~ 1 - Dui ~ i ~ ~~ -~ • ,x~ ~ - l..- .'- - '~ ~ _ A ~ - ~ r? ~ l -'' + f ~ 1. ' ~ s; . - ~~"`""_',~`*~'~~`Tt#,~r t ,~, .-`'`' -~ ~ - ._ - ~ `_- \ f i 3 {.y n~'-,mss' - ~ 1) FP Binghamton childrenn can no~.v draw, read, paint, or tumble in the comfort of a cornrart2d schoolroom. ne winter our son, Eli, was eighteen months old; he was recovering from epiglottitis, a dangerous flu that landed him in the hospital. He needed a few months to regain his strength, and our pediatri- cian suggested we take Eli out of day care temporarily. "I'm not saying you have to ?seep him in a bubble," she said. "He's iiealthv now. But his esr:osure to orher_riids should be lim- ited. Can vou_teep him home?" it was ~.~nuary-the longest, dark- est. coldest month of the near-in Bin~hamron. ~?ew `iorlc. I wasn t teaching that semester; ti:eoretically, at least, it was Doing to be my time to write. And here we were. Eii and I spent those first few wee':cs playing peeltaboo and empry-- the-coins-onto-the-bed. We moved on to dancing and to reading stories. tome afternoons, he would watch me type. After a month, we had seri- ous cabin fever, and nowhere to go. I remembered long summer days spent in the parks, where Eli was happy to be near other children play- ing-happy just to hear their voices, And I was glad to see other adults, new r"aces, even the trees. W:.s I the only mother incapable of entertain- ing herself and her toddler? Did I have the or~iv toddler incapable of entertaiair_g himself and his mother? We went to the mall. It eras packed with women and kids in stroll- ers. For tl'~e fast time, it occurred to me that the problem might be wide- s~read. ~t-lint we all needed was a pla: ground-indoors. S~ri;tgbng 6rit~ az~6on. I called the mayor's office. "Do you happen to have anything like an irdoor playground?" I asked. I was lucltiy. The woman who answered the phone didn't laugh when I e1- w plained to her why I was calling. "That sounds nice," she said. "I Z don't think we have anything like it, x 95 Our ]ndoor Playground (continued) `-'~~ ~ moo`' d, ~o'~` aCe ~ • e e~eC G eca<~k ~ ~ e or ~ , SS~eS. Sr`~ Ce ~~ ~~aCa but I'll call you back," she said. ° When she did, she suggested I dis- cuss my idea with Dave Cody, assis- tant director of recreation for the Parks and Recreation Department, who helps run our town's summer children's program. "He's inter- ested in things like this. And he has children of his own," she said. When I told him about my idea for the indoor playground, he didn't laugh either. He invited me down to city hall to talk about it. W'e discussed R~hat w-as needed: a big carpeted room, divided into ac- tive and quiet areas; some toys and books; furniture usable by both chil- dren and their parents; and bath- room facilities nearby-nothing fancy. The playground, eventually re- named the Play House, would oper- ate four hours a day, five mornings a week. It would be open to children up to five years old, accompanied by an adult. "Sounds good," he said. "Let me make a few phone calls." The first person Dave called was ivlary Haust, project coordinator of Schools as Community Sites, at Bing- hamton's ;MacArthur Elementary School. A school seemed like an ideal location for the indoor playground; if a school could provide the space; the city might provide supervision and equipment. Binghamton's mayor, Juanita Crabb, gave immediate and enthusi- astic support to the project. She ap- proved 53,500 in discretionary funds from the parks department for equipment, and 56,500 in salaries to keep the project running smoothly. The school board was also suppor- tive, although dovetailing the right place and time for the playground with the needs of the school system required careful planning. The board's initial approval took a matter of a few months. Implemen- tation of the actual Play House took a little over a year. VGe were given a spare classroom in the MacArthur Ele- mentarySchool that suited our needs perfectly. The number of people who do- nated time and energy to the project was amazing. Binghamton's head of cultural affairs designed a wildly col- orful wall mural, and Maryann Stenta, recreation leader of the parks department, spent countless hours- nights and weekends-painting it in. 96 PARENTS VCVEMBER 1991 (The principal of the school sup- ported everything from the p~~ting of Play House signs all arou' he school to the loaning of used lt~..~ter !. garten equipment. G. P. Putnam' I. Sons, located in nearby Kirkwood, do- nated boles of children's books.) ivlaryann, Dave, and I pored happil.; over educational-toy catalogs and spent one unforgettable three-hour session trying to cover every aisle in the largest toy store in town. We vis- ~E~ 9" li'9 8 5 ~'8 91CE+~ To order toys and equipment foryour own indoor playground, here are some of our favorite sources: All catalogs can be ordered free of charge. (Please note: Many of these play items can be made by the handy.) ABC School Supply: One of the most complete catalogs, with reason- ably priced early-learning materials from sand tables to construction paper (1-800-669-4222). Childcraft Education Corp.: The clas- sic source of awidevariety ofwell-made children's toys and educational supplies (1-800-631-5657). U.S. Constructive Playthings`. .- other encyclopedic source of toys and equipment, both indoor and out, includ- ing afine, hand-picked selection of chit- dren's books (1-800-255-6124). - Environments, Inc.: Especialtygood for some of the more unusual, large items. We ordered our. wood slide and the three-in-one play comer from this catalog (1-800-342-4453).. ChildLife Inc: From here you can order "Quadro" kits consisting of tubes, panels, and wheels that will en- able you to put together your own sturdy slides, playhouses, riding toys, tables, and more (1-800-462-4445, ext 911). The Right Start Catalogue: From this catalog we ordered the famous "roller coaster" toy (beads on loop- ing wires), an alphabet wall hanging, and the babies' favorite, a soft floor mat called the "ruggie bear" (1-800- 548-8531). How to Design and Build Chil- dren's Play Equipment by J. Beek- with (Ortho Books), is a useful resource. Sterling Publishers also offers several fine books on the subject CaII toll-free at 1- 800-367-9692, but don't forget ycur fa- vorite local toy store! -' ited The Discovery Center, our local children's museum, and watched the kids at play. We spied on children in playgrounds, preschools, and local play groups. Eventually we put to- gether the Play House. How we did it. ~'e decided to organize the room into separate play areas. We placed the baby area-soft toys, a huggable activity rug-in front of park benches, where parents could relax between play ing and swooping. Adja- cent to the baby area is the quiet area, with tables and chairs, where gro~v-n-ups and children share art sup- plies, books: toys, and puzzles. A play kitchen stands nearby. We set up the active area in the back corner of the room, roped off with safety- nets. It's equipped with huge rubber balls, play mats, and foam-rubber animals. Close by is a slightly less frenetic climbing-and- sliding area-a few climbing pyra- mids and blocks, some padded mats, a four-seater rocking rowboat that doubles as'a footbridge when turned over, and a sturdy wood slide-safe for toddlers but acceptable for older children too. One corner of the room is occu- pied by the most popular toy in the room, the sand table. Much of the kitchen equipment-pots, brooms, and cups -winds up here. When kids grow tired of the sand table, they can wander a few feet away to the make-believe corner, which fea- tures apuppet theater, a chalkboazd, and a storefront all in one. Actual use of the room is fluid; the kids move from one area to the next, by ones or twos or in a big parade. Visually, the wall-to-wall carpeting and colorful murals pull the rootn to- gether. We decided against having re- corded music on regularly because it's nicer when the kids provide their own sound effects. But sometimes someone brings in a children's tape. How it works. We've discovered, the fewer rules the better. Children must be accom- panied by an adult at all times; everyone helps to limit the chaos. The Play House is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 .~.~t. to I:00 P.ivt., whenever school is in session. No ad- mission fee is charged. Two pazks- department staff members are on hand whenever the Play House is open, to greet the parents and chil- dren, make newcomers feel at ease, and help keep it safe and tidy. There is an official limit of fifteen children at one time. To avoid disap- pointments or long waits, parents are sometimes advised to call the parks department in advance and to re- serve an hour of play. In fact, no one has er-er been turned away at the door or been sent home before he or she a~as ready to go. By the spring of that first year, Eli had returned to day care, and we were back to life as usual. But on April Fool's Day a y. ear later, we slowly climbed the steps together for the opening of the Play House. -lay or Crabbe, a stranger to both of us, stopped to take Eli's other hand: The Play House room was filled with administrators, the press, and, best of all, parents and their children, eager to get down to the business of play- ing and being together. Dave Cody remarked in his opening-day speech, "Every parent who lives in Bing- hamton knows that the long winter can be hard on small children who are forced to remain indoors. In open- ing this playroom, ~c-e hope to pro- vide pazents and children the oppor- tunity to leave home and have some fun without having to brave the ele- ments or pay a fee." The Play House has been, from the very start, a rousing success. It draws parents of every age and back- ground. Family-day-care providers bring their kids; grandparents come to spend the morning; parents bring one child or a few. As one woman remarked, "It functions a lot like a playground, only it's more intimate. You can be instantly talking with someone as if you were the best of friends, or off by yourself. And it's never the same two days in a row." There has already been talk of opening more Play Houses in other Binghamton schools. Everyone wants to use it. And whenever I in- vite my now three-year-old son to a playground, he says, "Okay. I;et's go to the indoor one!" OO Liz Rosenberg is the author of sereral chil- dren's Cooks. the mos[ recent of which is The Scrap Dol! (HarperCotlins(. She teaches English and creative writing at the State University of New York a[ Binghamton. 97 ~. CON`" '1NG ~~~~ SOW pc~C~?!'1'~S cre~tec! a place ~®~ ~ic~S-ara~9 -~~e~vtSelves. inters can be cold and lonely in upstate New York, and Renee Edel- man, trapped inside all day with her one-year-old daugh- ter, yearned to break through the isolation. She wondered, "Where can I take Meredith to play with other children? Where can I go to meet other moms?" Her town of Amherst, a sprawl- ing Buffalo suburb, offered virtu- ally no structured recreational ser- vicesfor children under six. Many neighborhood parks were run- down; some were dangerous. Edel- man Considered going to one of the fast-food franchises that have play areas. But she doubted that a restaurant would offer her much sense of community. "What I wanted was a safe, bright room that had lots of toys and educational games," Edelman says, "a place where parents and kids could get to know one an- other and become friends. So I de- cided to make a place, an indoor family playground." Edelman, 36, had no profes- sional training in child develop- ment or community organization; she had been a geriatrics social worker before she became an at- home mom. Her financial re- sources were modest. "My hus- band is a scientist at SUNY Buffalo, but it's been a struggle to live on one income." Nonetheless, she began to ex- plore her options. She learned that Amherst's town government had bought an abandoned school build- ing for S1; the town plaruled to in- vest 52.5 million to turn the school into what would later be named the Harlem Road Commu- nity Center. Only one room was still available. At a town meeting in 1990, Edelman asked whether she could turn the room into a play space. To her surprise, she was granted permission to use the room as a new play-and-leartung center. Edelman named it the Fam- ily Room. She wrangled carpeting from the town, asked her in-laws for a contribution (they gave $150), and asked neighbors to do- nate toys. The first day. "On the community center's opening day, inJanuary, 1991, the only people who showed up were me, a friend, and our kids," Edel- man recalls. Fortunately a TV crew was there that day to cover the cen- ter's opening, and the crew stopped by the Family Room and taped a small spot. In the follow- _ ing weeks, the mothers and chil- e dren began to arrive. Kathleen Burkard, 37, an ele- mentary school teacher for ten years, who had decided to stay , _~ c 'c 76 PMEN7S LWUARI' 1993 "Creating the Family Room brought us together," say the mothers who donated their #iime and talents. Meeting Date: 2/14/94 Agenda Item: C - 2 CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ITEM DESCRIPTION: Discussion on possible bicycle safety rodeo SUBMITTED BY: Carol Kriegler, Park & Rec Director EXPLANATION/SUMMARY: Up until a few years ago, the city had a tradition of conducting an annual bike safety rodeo at Falcon Heights school and parking lot for area kids. The event was held on a Saturday morning in May and consisted of a safety talk by Minnesota State Patrol safety education officer, film, and a "rodeo" of stations designed to teach skills that kids need to survive on the roads. The event was discontinued due to the feeling that it was not necessary to be done annually and due to "burn-out" of the many commission members and Lion's Club members needed for the event. Many volunteers are needed to effectively conduct the learning stations. Since a number of years have passed since the last rodeo, some consideration might be given to re-establishing this event. Meeting Date: 2/14/94 Agenda Item: C - 3 CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ITEM DESCRIPTION: Roseville Area High School request for use of Community Park tennis courts SUBMITTED BY: Carol Kriegler, Park & Rec Director EXPLANATION/SUMMARY: Hans Peterson, Roseville Area High School athletic director, has requested use of the Community Park tennis courts for use by the high school teams during the following times: Boys Team - Mid August to mid October 1994 2:15-4:30 for practice (until 5:30 on meet days) Girls Team - April 1 to June 1, 1995 2:15-4:30 for practice (until 5:30 meet days) Mr. Peterson's effort to find alternative tennis courts for the teams is a result of the high school courts unavailability during the construction period at the school. The tennis courts at Fairview, Evergreen Park (Brimhall) and the Community Park offer eight courts within a 2 mile radius. Mr. Peterson considers this arrangement to be the best possible within the district. He has obvious concerns about spreading the teams out for practice sessions and meets. The city's policy for rental of city facilities to the schools is to charge the district's own prevailing rental rates for comparable facilities. The basis for this charge is to assist in recovering the operations and maintenance costs associated with facility use. The city pays $8 - $13 an hour for gym rental. The city does not have a history of tennis court rental. Like the ice rinks, these facilities have been dedicated to casual, "drop-in" use for the community. While court use decreases significantly during the fall, steady court use by the community is observed during the spring. If this request is accommodated, it will be important to post the hours of school use as a convenience to community users.