09-05-96 Park CommissionMinutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Minutes Parks & Recreation September 5, 1996 station work being done, but for the use, nothing else is' being done. Johnson suggested putting it on the bottom of the list if a facility already exists which addresses this need. Greger stated that Rajanen needs to leave the meeting, therefore, Greger wanted to make a motion to move the parking lot expansion for Pioneer Park to 1998 or indefinitely to the unallocated fund and look at bringing other items into consideration for 1997. Ables seconded the motion. Morelan stated the parking issue is not going to go away, and as Remerowksi stated earlier, it will not get any cheaper as time goes on. Morelan stated he sees no reason to deviate from what the commission and the City as a whole determined was a good idea a year ago. Rajanen and Holm agreed with Morelan's comment. Greger stated that nothing has been offered that states this parking is needed, and he feels our parks are obscenely under used. He felt until there is a demand or proof additional parking is needed, he felt it could be held off until next year. Morelan commented that the parking on the street on the east side of the park is used as a last resort, after the overflow lot is full. Morelan stated he does not want us to hinge our future parking on what is designated to be a future ball field for the younger children. Johnson stated she is not for paving any more land where it is not necessary, but in this case, the whole time she has been on the Parks & Recreation Commission, there has been the issue that more parking is needed there. Last year, the picnic shelter bumped it out of the plan for one year. She stated she felt the parking should be done because parking is needed during those ball game times, the park is almost a showcase for the City, it is convenient for families with small children, and it increases the safety of parking for the area. Johnson felt there is no need to put it off any longer. Ables stated she felt that issues such as safety and increasing programs should be addressed instead of investing money in a parking lot. She stated this is not serving the citizens of the City, and people are too tied up in baseball parks. Morelan stated that the parking would not be just for ball games. He stated during a ball game, if a family wanted to park there and use the playground facilities they Couldn't, or to use the walking paths. Greger stated if they are driving to a park, they could go up another half mile or mile to Spooner Park and use those facilities. Remerowski stated it is time to look to improve and stop haggling. Remerowski stated our purpose is to look at the broad picture and do what we think is best and not attach- dollar figure to everything. 4