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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-05-2019 Park Board Minutes Approved August 5, 2019 Page 1 CITY OF LINO LAKES Park Board Minutes DATE: August 5, 2019 TIME STARTED: 6:30 PM TIME ENDED: 7:14 PM MEMBERS PRESENT: Andrew Levi, John Nordlund, Richard Jensen, Clark Gooder, and Abby Haworth MEMBERS ABSENT: Pat Huelman and Andrea Schmidt STAFF PRESENT: Rick DeGardner (Public Services Director) 1. Call to Order and Roll Call The August 5, 2019 City of Lino Lakes Park Board Meeting was called to order by Andrew Levi, Vice Chair. 2. Setting Agenda The agenda was approved as is. 3. Approval of Minutes April 1, 2019 Park Board Minutes were approved as is with no changes. 4. Open Mike There was no one present for Open Mike. Open Mike was closed. 5. Blue Heron Days Update The Park Board Members were updated on the status of the upcoming Community Event Blue Heron Days. They were informed that final touches were being put on and that the event would be held August 16 – 18. They were told that in conjunction with running Blue Heron Days, the Public Services Department will also have a Parks & Recreation promotional table at the Quad Area Chamber of Commerce Business & Art Expo at Lino Park. The table will provide residents with information about upcoming programs, events, and activities, Due to staffing levels, and the demand of employees to work Blue Heron Days, this table will be checked on throughout the day but would not be manned the entire event. Park Board members where encouraged to sign-up to be at the table during the event to help keep the table organized and to gain feedback from residents about our programs, parks, and trails. Approved August 5, 2019 Page 2 6. Parks Update: A. Arena Acres Tennis Court Park Board Members were updated on the Arena Acres tennis court. The Arena Acres tennis court was completed and final inspection took place on July 30th, 2019. With the exception of an issue with the depth of one of the post sleeves, the workmanship was exemplary. Clark Gooder, Park Board Member, stated that there use to be a sign off of Main Street stating that there were tennis courts in that area. Inquired if these signs would be put up again or new installed. Rick DeGardner, Public Services Director, stated that the city would need to install the signs. Gooder inquired if staff had received any feedback regarding the tennis court. DeGarder stated that he had not received any feedback good or bad from residents. He mentioned that the City will be placing some signage at the park asking people not to ride their bikes on the court but other than that he encouraged everyone to stop by Arena Acres Park and check out the finished court. B. Woods Edge Park Rick DeGardner, Public Services Director, updated the Park Board Members on the status of Woods Edge Park. DeGardner informed the Park Board that at the April 8, 2019 City Council Meeting the City awarded the construction project for Woods Edge Park. Later in the month the Park Supervisor, Environmental Coordinator, Landscape Architect consultant, contractor, and himself met on-site for a pre-construction meeting. There was concern about undergoing the site work (falling trees and bringing in heavy equipment) and possibly unintentionally damaging one of the mature oak trees in the immediate area. This would likely cause an oak wilt investigation, resulting in the eventual loss of all oak trees. Due to this it was collectively determined to wait until August, when it’s safe to prune, before continuing construction. A pre-construction meeting will take place August 12th with site work commencing shortly thereafter. C. Apollo Drive Trail Rick DeGardner, Public Services Director informed the Park Board that the City Council approved funding for the construction of a pedestrian trail along the north side of Apollo Drive from Lake Drive to Lilac Street. Staff is working with WSB Engineering to prepare plans and specs and anticipated construction commencing this fall (See August 5th Apollo Drive Trail Park Board Memo for snap shot of the area to be constructed). Clark Gooder, Park Board Member, asked how long do they anticipate the work taking? DeGardner replied that it would only take a couple weeks as it is a relatively small project. Approved August 5, 2019 Page 3 D. Sunset Oaks Park – Request Rick DeGardner, Public Services Director, provided an email that he received on June 18, 2019 from an area resident requesting replacement of the existing playground equipment at Sunset Oaks Park. He went on to state that the condition of our aging playground structures throughout our park system has been discussed over the past several years. He present the Park Board with an updated Existing Playground Equipment Inventory Sheet (See August 5th Sunset Oaks Park Request Park Board Memo). E. Woods of Baldwin Lake Park Master Planning Rick DeGarnder, Public Services Director, detailed that the redevelopment of Woods of Baldwin Lake Park was discussed during the May 6 City Council Work Session. He stated that staff is recommending scheduling a master planning process this fall. The proposed time line for this was provided to Park Board Members as well as information about the original master plan and potential funding sources. These funding sources include $12,875 in Dedicated Park fees from Chavez Preserve minor subdivision, Dedicated Park Fees from potential Lyngblomsten development, Park and Trail Improvement Fund, and Designated funding within the General Fund Budget (See August 5 Woods of Baldwin Lake Park Master Planning Park Board Memo). DeGardner also provided the Park Board with an email from a resident that began the discussion and stated that some residents did show up at a previous Council Work Session which got this process moving. He encouraged the Park Board Members who have not been to Woods of Baldwin Lake Park recently to stop by and see the work that is needed there. F. Marshan Boardwalk Rick DeGardner, Public Services Director, provided the Park Board with information about the Marshan Boardwalk. He stated that the condition of the 20+ year old Marshan Boardwalk has been on their radar for the past several years. He stated that the Park Board visited the Marshan Boardwalk on July 10, 2017 to review the condition of the boardwalk and “Caution-Uneven Surface” signs were installed as a result of the meeting. DeGardners informed them that last week, Park Maintenance staff placed barricades at both entrances to the Marshan Boardwalk. This was primarily due to the uneven surface of the boardwalk which resulted in a bicyclist sustaining an injury while riding on the boardwalk despite the signs. He stated that staff is currently evaluating options and will be reporting back to the Park Board this fall on what could be done. He stated that any type of fix will be expensive. He encourage Park Board Member to stop by to take a look at the boardwalk prior to their next meeting. Richard Jensen, Park Board Member, asked if it is an option just to take the boardwalk out to avoid any liabilities which DeGardner responded “absolutely”. Jenson stated you don’t want people getting hurt and it coming back on the City. He went on to state that once you take it out though you have to make plans right away to replace it. Approved August 5, 2019 Page 4 John Nordland, Park Board Member, asked DeGardner how long the board walk was. DeGardner responded that it was about 700 feet. DeGardner mentioned that he believed the intent of the boardwalk was to continue it on northward toward Marshan Lake when it was first put in. It was going to be a circular loop but since then, the project had been abandoned. He stated that it begs the questions “how important is the boardwalk section?” as well as at what cost would it be to replace it knowing that there is no extension of the boardwalk. Andrew Levi, Park Board Member, asked DeGardner if the City would come up with some options and present them to the Park Board and if they would have to decide on it. DeGardner responded that yes, the Park Board would have to take a position on what should be done and if necessary bring it to City Council. Jensen, asked DeGardner if he had an estimated cost for the project, in which DeGardner replied that they have not looked into that level of detail just yet. G. 2020 Proposed Budget Projects Rick DeGardner, Public Services Director, provided the Park Board with an update on the 2020 Proposed Budget Projects. He stated that the City Council held the first 2020 budget discussion on July 29. Two parks/trails projects were identified for possible funding next year: Replacement of Lino Park Playground Equipment ($95,000) and 12th Avenue Trail ($200,000). He provided the Park Board Members with staff reports that were included in the 2020 budget work session packet. He stated that the funding source for Lino Park is the Park Improvement Fund and the 12th Avenue Trail had three separate funding sources identified including Park Improvement Fund, Dedicated Parks Fund, and State Aid (land acquisition). He told the Park Board that the City Council will continue with budget discussion August 12th and that he would assume there will be an additional budget meeting prior to being finalized this fall. Andrew Levi, Park Board Member, asked if Lino Park would be replaced where it is or placed in another area as identified in the master plan. He stated in the plan it was further away from the parking lot/road, not under the power lines, and more in the shade. DeGardner stated if you are looking long term it would be a good idea to put the playground equipment inside the park as the master plan shows but realistically it would put a lot of pressure on our neighborhood parks given we do not have a recreation facility and we lost use of Rice Lake Elementary School for our fall soccer program. This added a lot of pressure on neighborhood parks for these programs particularly Lino Park. Placing a playground in the middle of the park would have a significant impact against our ability to put on our fall soccer program. He went on to say that when looking at that, we are so stretched for our parks and trails program funding that I think that if we would relocated and do things as we should instead of 100,000 fix we would be looking at $200,000/$250,000 fix. Looking long term that would be the way to go but very difficult to do knowing the conditions of several of our other neighborhood parks. With the need Approved August 5, 2019 Page 5 to replace other playground equipment it would be hard to take $100,000 and put it to Lino again. DeGardner recommended replacing Lino Park playground equipment in the existing area knowing the urgent needs of the other parks playground equipment. Clark Gooder, Park Board Member, stated that he thought this would be a good discussion to have. He commented that he was not sure how often soccer takes place in that open space but that it’s open space which is a rarity around Lino Lakes, and to be able to do soccer or other programs. He went on to comment that Lino Park has a fairly large playground and wondering how much it gets used. He questioned if the playground would need to be as large as it is, or if they could scale it down a bit to save some money and put the funds elsewhere. He stated that scaling the playground down might be something to think about when the discussion take place. DeGardner stated that to relocate that playground area would mean grading, moving irrigation systems, etc. which all costs money. There would be a significant cost savings to keep the park where it is at. He stated that the current location is workable. He mentioned that the Park Board Members should keep in mind the park shelter is also due for replacement. He stated that it makes sense to have the shelter close to the park so where its current location is next to the park is good, maybe not the most ideal location, but it’s workable. Levi agreed with DeGardner that it was the most realistic option. Gooder asked the group if a lot of people use Lino Park. He stated that you can see the park from the road, but wondered if people utilize it. Abby Haworth, Park Board Member, stated that she and her kids go to that park and that there is usually other people there. She stated that she likes the fact that the park is a bit bigger but agreed maybe it’s too big. She stated she doesn’t like the fact that when she is sitting watching her kids at the park that she can’t always see her kids because the park is so big. She mentioned that the parking lot is right there and it’s worrisome when you can’t see the kid from the benches. She suggested placing some benches so people can see their kids and know that they would see them if they headed toward the parking lot. She states that adding the benches would make her feel a lot better when watching her kids. DeGardner stated that he would make a note of that when going through the planning phase. Levi commented that there is a couple ways through the fence at the park but maybe just have one entrance in the future. He stated it would be an inconvenience, but could help address the concerns about kids running into the parking lot. Levi inquired about the 12th Avenue Trail and the Anoka County redoing Birch. He asked if there was anything happening now on the north end of that trail. He questioned if the County was doing anything with it and if the County was aware of the City’s plan to possibly put a trail in there. DeGardner replied that the 12th Avenue trail wouldn’t have an impact on the Birch Street improvement projects. He stated that they have been in discussion with the County related to the additional trails along Birch Street, specifically Approved August 5, 2019 Page 6 the southern side. He said that he didn’t believe that the 12th Ave Trail will have any impact with Birch Street. 7. Recreation Update: A. 9th Annual Family Corn Roast Rick DeGardner, Public Services Director, updated Park Board Members on the 9th Annual Corn Roast which was held July 25th. He stated that it was beautiful weather, sunshine, and a record breaking crowd. The band Shirts & Skins played live music, the Rotarians sold raffle tickets, Sammy Sue provided face painting and the Amazing Scott did balloon art. There was lots of fresh corn and food served all evening. Other highlights included the Lino Lakes Ambassadors in attendance to help with spin art, bounce houses, and snow cone making. The Police and Fire Department held their annual Guns and Hoses softball game and the weather made the event one of the best of all times. He went onto mention that there were some technical difficulties at the event. The corn roaster that had been rented was broken so Brian, Recreation Supervisor, drove to Eden Prairie for a new one. Due to this, instead of corn being roasted at 3:30pm and having coolers of cooked corn ready for when people arrived, roasted corn was not available until 5:30pm. This resulted in very long lines. He stated that the event was well attended and well received and the only comment the staff had was that the lines were long. Clark Gooder, Park Board Member, commented that at the event the park playground equipment was busy (lots of kids). DeGardner replied that the new park equipment was a hit and it was jammed packed with kids. DeGardner also commented that parking for this event is always a big issue. It’s a cozy atmosphere. Beer sales & face painting were new and they seemed to go very well. Parking is always an issue due to the nature of the location. Other than that it was a well done event. Gooder asked if there had been any feedback on Facebook, emails to the office, etc. Kellie Schmidt, Public Services Administrative Assistant, stated that no feedback/comments good or bad were received, but she noticed that many people were reposting photos of the event to their Facebook pages. Gooder stated that it was such a laidback event and people didn’t seem to mind the lines. DeGarnder responded that staff has some ideas to remedy the long lines. B. Credit Card Processing Using “Square” Kellie Schmidt, Public Services Administrative Assistant, informed Park Board Members that the Public Services Department purchased the “Square” credit card processing system. This allows Public Servicers, Parks & Recreation Department, etc. to use the already purchased, and on hand, City IPads to take credit cards at offsite events and at the Approved August 5, 2019 Page 7 Public Services window at City Hall for registration, equipment purchases, etc. She stated that there is no monthly processing fee for Square, which is different from the credit card machine they had been using at the Public Services window. However there is a transaction service fee when the credit cards are processed (2.75% for any swipe, dip, or tap and 3.5% for manually entered numbers). The hope for the Square is that it will allow event attendees the convenience of using their cards to purchase items at the events as many people do not carry cash. Another added benefit is that the City can save money on not paying a monthly fee for a credit card machine that just sits at the counter whether we used it or not and that machine could not be used at events. C. Proposed 2019 – 2020 Warming House Hours Rick DeGardner, presented the Park Board Members with the Proposed 2019 – 2020 Warming House Hours. He stated that they are recommending that the skating rinks and warming houses open starting Friday, December 13th (weather permitting) until Sunday, February 23rd. He stated that Sunrise, City Hall, and Birch Parks are the sites that will be open for skating. He provided the Park Board Members with the hours for each location (see August 5, 2019 Proposed 2019 – 2020 Warming Houses Hours Park Board Memo). He mentioned that the provided days and hours were the same from last year. DeGardner also shared that he had received a request for the skating rinks lights to be on later at some of the parks, specifically Sunrise, so that residents could play hockey and use the rink later. He stated that department was looking into this request and thought about having the lights on timers. He mentioned that they would still restrict the lights turning on and off at certain hours and it is something they are looking into. Clark Gooder, Park Board Member, clarified that the lights are currently not on a timer? DeGardner responded that no the lights are on a timer. They are shut off when the warming house closes and the rink attendants shuts them off. He stated he will keep the Park Board updated on this request. 8. New Business There was no new business to review. 9. Old Business There was no old business to review. Clark Gooder, Park Board Member, stated he wasn’t sure if it was new or old business, but asked Rick DeGardner, Public Services Director, when they could anticipate having a budget. Asked if it had been finalized with the City Council. DeGardner asked if Gooder meant the budget in regards to capital projects. In which Gooder, responded “yes”. DeGardner stated that it is currently under consideration with the City Council. He stated that if the Park Board Members would like to give any feedback regarding projects they Approved August 5, 2019 Page 8 could contact their elected officials, but the extent of park of trails projects is just the two (Replacing Lino Park Playground equipment and 12th Avenue Trail). Currently right now in the City budget there is $90,000 that is designated to be used, or transferred, into the Parks and Trails Fund and that is primarily where the Lino Park Equipment project funding will come from. The proposed budget as of right now for 2020 does include that, so assuming it gets transferred it will allow the Lino Park Equipment and the 12th Avenue trail to get done. Gooder stated he encourages everyone on the Park Board to really get out and take a look at all the parks because the board needs to continue to assume at some point they would have funding and a budget. He stated having the knowledge of where theses parks are at for updating and replacement will make for a quicker discussion to allocated funds. He encourages everyone to take note of the equipment that is there and the age group that is using it. Levi stated that there had been past thoughts about having a workshop to discuss this. He also mentioned that at the next meeting they could make a recommendations if that is something that the City Council would like. DeGardner stated that the budget was in July and that he made recommendations based on passed Park Board past discussions. He said at the next Park Board Meeting that he could put this on the agenda and he might have a better sense of where we are at on funding and could discuss. He also stated that as the year progress, the City Council could give some fund reserves or surpluses to the Parks and Trails Fund. He said it might be good to identify the top 5 projects that the Park Board thinks it should be used on in case they receive the funding. Gooder stated it would be good to have a priority list and a plan in place ready for when funds come in. DeGardner stated that in the past the September meeting has been held offsite at a park or trail section and asked if that would be something that the Park Board would be interested in. He stated that it could be at any park or trail, developed, undeveloped, etc. He Asked if the Park Board felt that the offsite meeting in the past was beneficial or more of an inconvenience to get to. Gooder, asked about having the Park Supervisor, Mike Hoffman, come to the September meeting to give any updates on the Parks and any input/insight on the parks. Richard Jenson, Park Board Member, commented that he wondered if the new mayor, as the current mayor is running for County Commissioner, would be as Park and Trail oriented as the current mayor is. DeGardner responded “only time will tell”. 10. Next Scheduled Park Board Meeting Monday, September 9, 2019 11. Adjourn Richard Jensen made a MOTION to adjourn, John Nordland supported the MOTION. All in favor MOTION carried. Meeting was adjourned. Approved August 5, 2019 Page 9 Submitted by, Kellie Schmidt Administrative Assistant Lino Lakes Public Services