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MINUTES <br />CITY COUNCIL <br />SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 <br />Torkelson commented on the national trend of decreasing civic <br />engagement and mistrust in government. He also noted that people are <br />withdrawing and not getting out and meeting neighbors etc. <br />Demographics are also changing and Little Canada's Hispanic, Latino, <br />and SE Asian populations are increasing. Torkelson noted that the Hmong <br />community is self-sufficient, live near or with family and create their own <br />recreation system. Torkelson felt there was the need to target these <br />populations, find out what they want, determine some priorities, and move <br />forward. Torkelson felt the issue was bigger than just recreation <br />programming and included mistrust in government and lack of <br />participation in community. <br />Miller agreed that there needed to be a 3 to 5 year plan and more <br />involvement, more communication, and more ideas. Miller suggested that <br />there needed to be a mission statement or philosophy relative to parks and <br />recreation. <br />Sanders indicated that as part of the City's Comprehensive Plan a Parks & <br />Recreation Comp Plan was developed. Within that plan a lot of policies <br />and objectives were laid out, and Sanders felt it was still a viable plan. <br />Sanders suggested that perhaps more recreation focus should be <br />incorporated into this plan as it was more focused on parks and trails <br />rather than programming. Keis felt that that plans should be redistributed <br />to everyone. <br />Fischer pointed out that parks, trails, and programming must all work <br />together. Fischer felt that facilities should be reviewed relative to what <br />their best future use might be, for example, the lower Spooner area might <br />be better used as a soccer facility. <br />Joriman pointed out the popularity of the skateboard park and the fact that <br />this gives a group of kids something to do. Horwath indicated that he got <br />involved in team sports as a kid and continued that involvement into <br />adulthood. Horwath indicated that recreation programming keeps kids <br />busy and out of trouble and that is its biggest asset. <br />Keis asked the percentage of residents versus non-residents using the <br />City's shelters and participating in rec programs. The Director estimated <br />that about 80% of participants in the rec programs are residents. Shelter <br />use is split about 50/50 between residents and non-residents. However, <br />many non-residents renting shelters actually have friends or family living <br />in Little Canada. <br />McGraw asked what LCRA needs from the City to be able to function <br />better. Joriman indicated that this is his first year as president. He <br />indicated that it would be nice to have a listing of City parks and <br />6 <br />