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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-07-2020 Park Board Minutes CITY OF LINO LAKES PARK BOARD MINUTES (VIRTUAL MEETING) DATE: October 7, 2020 TIME STARTED: 6:30 P.M. TIME ENDED: 7:50 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: Patrick Huelman (Chair), John Nordlund, Clark Gooder, Abby Haworth, Richard Jensen, William Kusterman MEMBERS ABSENT: Andrew Levi STAFF PRESENT: Rick DeGardner 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL: Chair Huelman called the Lino Lakes Park Board meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. on October 7, 2020. A. Welcome Mr. William Kusterman Rick DeGardner, Director of Public Services, welcomed William Kusterman to the th Lino Lakes Park Board. At the September 28 City Council meeting, the City Council appointed Mr. Kusterman to the Park Board with his term expiring December st 31 of 2022. Mr. Kusterman was previously a member of the Park Board from 2000- 2013 and he served on the City Council from 2014-2017. Mr. Kusterman thanked the Park Board for the warm welcome and he expressed his excitement to rejoin the board. Chair Huelman said Mr. Kusterman’s previous board experience would be an asset to the Park Board. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The Agenda was approved as presented. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Mr. Gooder made a MOTION to approve the August 5, 2020 Meeting Minutes. Motion was supported by Mr. Jensen. Motion carried 5 - 0. Mr. Kusterman abstained. 5. OPEN MIKE APPROVED MINUTES Park Board October 7, 2020 Page 2 There was no one present for Open Mike. Open Mike was closed. 6. REVIEW PARK AND TRAIL FUND Rick DeGardner, Director of Public Services, reviewed the Park and Trail Fund. In 2018, the City Council began to allocate general fund dollars for park and trail development which resulted in a cash influx of $500,000. In 2019 and 2020, the City Council allocated $90,000 to the Park and Trail Fund. For the 2021 budget, there currently are not any dollars allocated for the Park and Trail Fund. He summarized recently completed park improvements which included a full-size tennis court and paved trails at Arena Acres Park and new playground equipment at Sunrise Park. The Apollo Drive Trail was initially considered, but the Park Board decided that it did not make sense to continue. Mr. DeGardner explained there was a $14,000 cost associated with the preparation of plans and specifications for the Apollo Drive Trail. Mr. DeGardner informed the board th the 12 Avenue Trail project has been completed and the project’s cost was estimated to be $25,000 under budget. Mr. DeGardner explained with the surplus of funds from the th completion of the 12 Avenue Trail project, the undesignated fund balance is approximately $250,000. He explained, since the City Council is currently reviewing the 2021 budget, he suggested the Park Board review the Park and Trail Fund and determine if there are any specific projects the Park Board would like the City Council to consider. Chair Huelman stated constructing a park next to the new water tower in Lino Lakes would make a lot of sense since there is a local need in that part of the community. He explained there is a need within the parks system for hard courts and there is a great opportunity to construct a hard court on that piece of ground. He concluded starting the park could be integrated into the larger recreational complex design. Mr. Gooder agreed. Mr. DeGardner said the City Council is interested in developing six pickle balls courts, two tennis courts, and a full-size basketball court south of the fire station. If the City decided to develop the property to the south of the park, the park would fit well within that area. He explained there are currently designated funds for the development of the recreation complex. Furthermore, there is a potential opportunity to utilize some of the dedicated park dollars from the recently approved Nadeau Acres to construct the park. This possible opportunity will be discussed further with the City Council at the next budget meeting. Mr. Gooder suggested all members review the packets from a couple of months ago and try to prioritize the various park and trail opportunities so that the board can begin utilizing the funds. Chair Huelman agreed. He suggested each member forward to Rick or himself a list of park and trail recommendations so the board can continue the conversation and set a criteria for establishing priorities. He reminded the board designated funds are dollars received from specific projects that are intended to be spent within those communities/neighborhoods. In some cases, the funds may be utilized near the APPROVED MINUTES Park Board October 7, 2020 Page 3 neighborhood or directly within the neighborhood. He clarified these are an alternative set of available funds, however, they are more restricted. Undesignated funds do not have restrictions on how the funds are to be spent. Mr. DeGardner further explained this is the park and trail improvement fund and its sole revenue source is general fund dollars via City Council authorization. The other fund is the dedicated parks fund and these are dollars the city receives from residential, commercial, and industrial development. At this time, there is not an undesignated fund balance for the board to utilize for any discretionary projects. Chair Huelman wondered if the reason there are no dollars allocated for the 2021 budget was because of COVID-19 and tax revenues. Mr. DeGardner stated there have been a few budget work sessions and as of right now, th October 7, there is not any allocation in the 2021 budget for contributions to the Park and Trail Fund. Mr. Kusterman shared, he reviewed the initial 2021 budget and he said $70,000 was originally dedicated to the park and trail improvement fund. He asked why were the funds removed and who made the decision to eliminate the funds. Mr. DeGardner clarified the $70,000 was originally included at the first budget meeting, however, the City Council identifyied potential funding cuts and the Park andTtrail Improvement Fund was chosen. Mr. Kusterman explained, when he was on the City Council, he and his fellow members worked hard to ensure the parks received funding. He shared, prior to 2017, the Dedicated Parks Fund had not received General Fund dollars for approximately 16 years. He expressed concern with not receiving any 2021 funds for the Park and Trail Improvement Fund. Mr. Gooder agreed with Mr. Kusterman. He explained Lino Lakes residents are outside biking, hiking, jogging, and walking now more than ever before due to COVID-19 and therefore it is important for the Park Board to have a solid plan for the improvements of the City’s parks and trails. He recommended the board prioritize the park and trail projects and ask City Council for the funds to complete the projects. He stated the Park Board’s job is to fight for the residents of Lino Lakes and for the funding of the City’s parks and trails. Mr. DeGardner asked the Park Board to provide a list of recommendations by next month so he could go to the City Council in December for consideration and then staff would have the winder months to prepare plans and specs and go out for bid. Chair Huelman recommended the board reconvene next month and list their priorities for park and trail projects. He commented the $90,000 or $100,000 annual allocation is a small investment towards the parks system. He offered to communicate with the City APPROVED MINUTES Park Board October 7, 2020 Page 4 Council members and encourage them to continue funding the parks and trails with the undesignated dollars. 7. PARK UPDATES A. Lino Park Playground/Park Shelter Concept Plans Rick DeGardner, Director of Public Services, presented the staff report. Mr. DeGardner stated Lino Park is one of the three most utilized parks within Lino Lakes. The current playground equipment was installed in 1998 and the open air shelter was built in 1986. City staff asked WSB to create a few concept plans to replace the existing playground equipment and shelter. City staff would like to improve the separation between the parking lot and active park area, but they believe the playground equipment should remain within the same general area because it sense functionally and economically. Mr. DeGardner explained, 15 years ago, the City conducted a remaster planning process of Lino Park and recommended the playground structure be relocated within the trail loop. He continued, since then, the open space area has been utilized more often for organized activities as well as for Blue Heron Days. Because of the more frequent use of the open area than in years past, City staff did not recommend relocating the playground equipment within the trail loop. The potential funding sources for Lino Park are the Park and Trail Fund and the Dedicated Parks Fund. Mr. DeGardner presented the three park concepts to the board. He stated City staff prefers Concept #1. Concept #1 would relocate the park shelter between the play area and the open space area. The downside to this concept is the shelter would be removed from its original location. However, this relocation would allow the electrical pedestals to remain within its existing location and provide electrical power to the shelter. Another benefit to Concept #1 is the existing sidewalk on the other side of the fence would remain while, on the opposite side of the fence, a 5 ft. buffer with landscaping would be constructed which would provide a larger buffer between the parking lot and the play area. He continued, Concept #2 would keep the playground equipment and shelter in the same location and would provide a buffer between the parking lot and play area. The benefit to Concept #2 is it is less costly than Concept #1. Concept #3 would construct a concrete plaza area with tables and umbrellas between the play area and open space area. This concept would allow parents to observe their children playing either on the playground equipment or in the open space area. There would be a shelter area located in the southern portion of the park for larger groups. However, this concept would require one of the electrical pedestals to be relocated. Mr. DeGardner asked for the Park Board’s feedback regarding the three concept plans. Ms. Haworth liked Concept #1 because of the buffer between the play area and the parking lot, the location of the shelter, the shade provided by the shelter, and the ability for parents to observe their kids playing on either the playground equipment or within the open space area without having to relocate. Mr. Jensen concurred. Mr. Kusterman asked if there was any room to install a pickle ball court at Lino Park. APPROVED MINUTES Park Board October 7, 2020 Page 5 Mr. DeGardner said there may be room to install a pickle ball court. However, he explained, he viewed courts as serving the Lino Lakes community regionally more so than residentially. There are eight tennis courts at Centennial Middle School for residents to utilize for pickle ball and tennis. Mr. DeGardner suggested the Park Board determine whether or not hard court surfaces should be integrated in the Lino Lakes park system and if so, begin identifying which parks would receive hard courts. Mr. Kusterman explained part of the reason for suggesting the implementation of hard court surfaces is due in part to the closure of the YMCA. With the YMCA’s closure, the elder generation has been out of play in regards to pickle ball. He acknowledged the tennis courts at Centennial Middle School, but questioned if the courts can be repurposed for pickle ball. Chair Huelman agreed with Mr. DeGardner and restated some parks will remain neighborhood parks. However, he said Lino Park is currently a destination type park with its large parking lot, central location, and frequent use by the public. Mr. Jensen commented the shelter should not be moved as it is in a perfectly good area where parents have good sightlines of their kids. Mr. Nordlund preferred Concept #1. He stated the location of the park shelter would work well there for Blue Heron Days. Mr. Gooder liked the placement of the shelter on Concept #1. He suggested planting trees, bushes, or flowers next to the chain-link fence, as depicted in the other concepts, to provide more shade, but also to improve the curb appeal. He wondered if there would be an opportunity to get the community involved in the planting of flowers, etc. to improve the aesthetics of the park. Mr. DeGardner reviewed the budget and estimated the total project cost would be approximately $300,000. The Park and Trail Fund currently has an undesignated fund balance of roughly $255,000. Mr. Kusterman stated the importance of the City Council continuing annual funding. Mr. Gooder asked what the board’s project priorities are for 2021 and the years following. He suggested the board establish their priorities so that they can approach City Council with a plan and be better equipped to request more funds. He concluded the board needs funds because many families move to Lino Lakes for its expansive parks and trails. Furthermore, it is the duty of the Park Board to represent the community and ensure the park system is well maintained. Chair Huelman restated the importance of taking the next board meeting to establish project priorities and where Lino Park falls within the list, and if the board will ask City Council for additional funds to complete the Lino Park updates. APPROVED MINUTES Park Board October 7, 2020 Page 6 B. Birch Park – Girl Scouts Kindness Mail Box Rick DeGardner, Director of Public Services, presented the staff report. The Girl th Scout Troop 56277, a group of 6 graders from Centennial Middle School, recently contacted city staff to request constructing and installing a Kindness Mail Box at Birch Park. This project was part of their Bronze Award project. A Kindness Mailbox is similar to the Little Free Library concept that you have seen over the last couple of years where people can take or add things to brighten someone’s day. Items such as cards, sayings, painted rocks, etc. can be found in those mailboxes. It is about a 24” W x 19” H x 13” D and is made from solid pine and aspen. The roof and shingles are pretty durable. They are made of plywood. The mailbox will be mounted to a 4x4 stained, treated post. One of the troop members will be assigned to monitor the mailbox monthly to fill it up with kindness knick-knacks and repairs, if needed. It will be located near the open air shelter at Birch Park. Mr. Jensen stated the Kindness Mailbox is a wonderful idea, but he expressed concern of possible vandalism. Mr. Gooder said, by allowing this project, the Park Board is welcoming the Girls Scouts to the City and encouraging them on their various projects. He stated the Kindness Mailbox may also benefit the community. He further explained, by allowing this project, it enhances the board’s connection with the community, it lets them know the parks are theirs, and they can approach the board anytime if they have alternative ideas to enhance the parks’ experience. 8. NEW BUSINESS There were no comments made regarding new business. 9. OLD BUSINESS There were no comments made regarding old business. 10. NEXT SCHEDULED PARK BOARD MEETING Wednesday, November 4, 2020 11. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Gooder made a MOTION to adjourn to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 p.m. Motion was supported by Mr. Nordlund. Motion carried 6 - 0. Respectfully submitted, Janele Waterman, Community Development Administrative Assistant APPROVED MINUTES