06/03/1996 Park Board Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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_ a n MEMORANDUM Date: May 26, 1996 From: Marty Asleson To: Lino Lakes Park and Recreation Board Subject: Birchwood Acres Park Please take time to review the minutes from the last meeting concerning this park. The park boards policy is to wait for at least 500 of the residents to move into a neighborhood before beginning the master-planning process. I believe this is an essential and prudent process in order to create the feeling of ownership in the parks and the belief that their dedicated park or tax dollars are being spent wisely. Please keep in mind that the risks are differences of opinion that can sometimes create angry situations that the board will have to make some tough decisions on. I still believe this is the best process we have for what the people want. If there is another way, please let me know. One of the things that makes this process difficult is the fact that the board often times does not have the entire picture(additional land needs that are nebulous enough to stall the entire master plan) and thus have your hands tied. I would like to suggest that in the future, all residents moving into the city who have chosen to reside directly next to a park are notified of the intentions of our Comprehensive Park and Trail Plan. In other words, neighborhood parks are neighborhood parks and not "informal neighborhood parks", and there are certain common elements and programs that could and most-likely occur in these parks. I expect to see more residents from Birchwood acres at the meeting to address the progress of fund-raising and where to place these needed features. At this writing I am unsure of the status of Rick Carlson's intentions since the musa expansion has still not occurred. If something comes in this week, I will try to include this in the packet. Please find enclosed a copy of a small shelter and list of the additional things that were ordered from the donations received from to the Friends of the Parks. Please note that the additional playground equipment has already been approved. The items that have not been approved are the grills, tables, backstop, and player "bench. " I wish I could speed the land acquisition up so that the board could make a better decision on things like a shelter. Recall that the residents living on the north side presented the