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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-04-2001 Park Board MinutesPark Board Meeting – June 4, 2001 Minutes 1 The June 4, 2001 City of Lino Lakes Park Board meet ing was called to order at 6:30pm, by Chair Lindy. Roll call was taken, members present were Pam Tasch uk, Paul Montain, George Lindy, Chris Welsand, Bill Kusterma n, Michael O’Connor, and Pat Huelman. No members were absent. Also present were Rick DeGardner, Public Services D irector, Sandie Wood, Office Manager. APPROVAL OF APRIL 2, 2001 MINUTES: Paul Montain made a motion, seconded by Pam Taschuk , to approve the April 2, 2001 minutes. The minutes were approv ed. SETTING THE AGENDA: The Agenda was passed as presented. OPEN MIKE: No one was present for open mike. REVIEW HIGHLAND MEADOWS WEST 3 RD ADDITION PRELIMINARY PLAT: Rick advised the proposed Highland Meadows West 3 rd Addition is located south of Main Street between the Bluebill P onds Development and Twilight Acres. This 33.68 acre de velopment is zoned R1 (single family residential) and consists o f 70 lots. The preliminary plat indicates a trail corridor, de picted as Outlot A, connecting the development to Main Street . The developer has agreed to dedicate Outlot D for parkl and, which is adjacent to the existing land for Highland Meadows Park. The balance of the developer’s park dedication requirem ents will be paid in cash. A small portion of the existing Highland Meadows Pa rk will be encroached to align Arlo Lane with the existing roa d in the Mardon Acres Development. This land will be deduct ed from the land credit received for dedicating Outlot D to ful fill park dedication requirements. The Highland Meadows West 3 rd Addition preliminary plat was discussed at the March 5, 2001, Park Board meeting. Rick referred to a copy of the minutes from that meeting . Rick stated staff is recommending that the park ded ication for the Highland Meadows West 3 rd Addition consists of the dedication of Outlot A for trail purposes and the dedication o f Outlot D to expand the existing Highland Meadows Park. The dev eloper will grade and install aggregate per City specifications for the trail to be located within Outlot A. Also, Outlot A and Outlot D Park Board Meeting – June 4, 2001 Minutes 2 should be depicted on the final plat as “park”. Th e balance of the park dedication requirements will be cash. Mr. Steve Schmidt, Developer for Highland Meadows W est, came forward and stated that Outlot C will be a buffer a s requested by Mr. and Mrs. Judd. If Mr. and Mrs. Judd do not pur chase the land, it will be dedicated as parkland only. Pat asked about the role of Outlot A. Rick advised Outlot A is for trail purposes. Mr. Schmidt added that the City Engineer requested Outlot A for a trail and a utility connection to Main. Paul inquired about Outlot B. Mr. Schmidt explained Outlot B is there to allow th e property owner to the east adequate access so their land wil l not be land locked. There will be 60’ and eventually lots may be developed in the back of the property. Paul asked who maintains the outlots. Mr. Schmidt advised the City is responsible for the parkland. If the property remains outlots, it is the developers responsibility to maintain them. Chair Lindy asked if the 60’ is to enter with a roa dway. Mr. Schmidt advised the 60’ is to enter with a road at the request of City staff. Paul inquired about the cash dedication amount. Ri ck advised the final numbers have not yet been received from the P lanning Department. Mr. Schmidt stated he would like to discuss with th e Park Board about the location of trees within the park after i t is graded. He stated he may want to store some of the trees on the site also. Paul Montain made a motion, seconded by Michael O’C onnor, that the park dedication for the Highland Meadows West 3 rd Addition consists of the dedication of Outlot A for trail pu rposes and the dedication of Outlot D to expand the existing Highl and Meadows Park. The developer will grade and install aggrega te per City specifications for the trail to be located within O utlot A. Also, Outlot A and Outlot D should be depicted on t he final plat as “park”. The balance of the park dedication requ irements will be in cash. Motion carried. Park Board Meeting – June 4, 2001 Minutes 3 REVIEW POSSIBLE SKATE PARK: Rick advised information was included in the May, 2 001 Park Board packet pertaining to a possible skate park at the C entennial Middle School. A brief history was presented that outlined the City’s attempts to provide a skate park facility fo r residents. Rick indicated that on May 7, 2001, he met with Dr. John Christiansen, Superintendent of the Centennial Scho ol District. After the discussion it seemed that the school dist rict would be receptive to providing a 50’ x 50’ area at the Cent ennial Middle School for the City to provide a skate park facilit y. It was explained that the City is willing to incur all cos ts associated with a skate park facility including purchase of th e equipment, setup and takedown, maintenance, and a willingness to indemnify the school district from liability. Unfortunately, on May 18, the school district infor med City staff that they are not interested in providing an area f or a skate park due to concerns related to potential vandalism . It appears a skate park facility will not come to f ruition until the athletic complex is developed. Chair Lindy stated the City of Centerville is pavin g a hockey rink in LaMotte park for skating purposes. He aske d if staff should speak to Centerville regarding costs of pavi ng a rink. Rick advised there are other issues such as locatio n. The rinks in our neighborhood parks are not designed for high impact use. There is not a good location within the City to pav e a current rink. Pat inquired about Country Lakes Park. Rick stated he views that park more as a passive facility. Hopefully, Countr y Lakes Park will be developed in the future when funding become s available. A skate park needs to be located at a school facili ty parking lot. Pam asked who made the decision not to participate in the skate park. Rick stated the Superintendent spoke to his staff about the possibility of a skate park. It was the consen sus not to pursue a skate park. RECREATION DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Rick referred to the Program Highlights Flyer from May 2001. He noted Summer Playgrounds will begin on June 18. Pr eschool Playtime registration has reached capacity – both c lasses are full. Park Board Meeting – June 4, 2001 Minutes 4 The Options Program is close to filling. The maxim um is 60 participants and registration is currently at 58. Softball registration is consistent with past years. Rick noted the Summer Activities Guide was mailed o ut to residents the last week of May. Also, Kite Day was held last Saturday. PARKS DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Rick reviewed a memo from Mike Hoffman, Parks Super visor, which summarizes the maintenance highlights for May 2001. Activities have included daily ballfield preparation and socce r field maintenance. A Girl Scout project included an entr ance sign at Sunrise Park and the exterior painting of the Sunri se Park warminghouse. Rick added there has been extensive park tree plant ing and the Department purchased a JD4100 Tractor for the prima ry ballfield groomer. Pam asked if the City maintains the fields at Cente nnial Middle School. Rick advised the City does maintain the so ccer fields at Centennial Middle School. The new school is propos ed to the east and north of the Middle School. NEW BUSINESS: None OLD BUSINESS: Trapper’s Crossing Trail Update – Rick advised the City has attempted to secure a trail connection from the Tra pper’s Crossing Development to Birch Park for several year s. In November 2000, the City reached an agreement wit h the Whitcombs to purchase two acres of land for $6,000. After several unsuccessful attempts to schedule a closing date, staff was notified that the Whitcomb’s have decided not t o sell the two acres of land to the City. Mr. Whitcomb indicates that if and when they decide to sell their land, they will sell the entire 20-acre parcel as one piece. It appears that the important trail connection to B irch Park will not happen in the near future unless the Park Board and City Council feel it is necessary to begin condemnation proceedings. The Park Board will be notified if the Whitcombs de cide to sell their property. Paul asked if Rick had spoke with Mr. Whitcomb. Ri ck advised the Whitcomb’s attorney had left a message indicating M r. Whitcomb is not interested in selling any property at this time . Park Board Meeting – June 4, 2001 Minutes 5 Chair Lindy stated the two acres the City was looki ng at are at the edge of their property and is wetland. The pur chase will not land lock their existing wetland. He stated that s ometimes condemnation is the only way the City can proceed. He stated he does not believe that two acres is critical to thei r property. Chris inquired about the type of trail that would b e used to access the park. Rick advised a combination of boa rdwalk and bituminous. The Park Board has designated $15,000 for the project and another $40,000 for the trail. Pat stated condemnation may get the ball rolling fo r more discussions. It is possible to even cut the purcha se to one acre for adequate access. Rick stated the City was open to just an easement f or access. The Whitcomb’s indicated they wanted to sell two ac res. It is possible to reduce the request to one acre. Their remaining land would not be land locked. Paul stated he sees the urgency for the trail but h e is not comfortable with condemnation due to the Whitcomb’s being long time property owners within the City and their age and health. He indicated he would be more open to condemnation when their daughters own the land. Chair Lindy stated the condemnation does not have t o be a confrontational procedure. He stated the issue sho uld be discussed further. Chris asked if it is possible to discuss the purcha se of only one acre or an easement with the property owners. Chair Lindy stated the issue is that the Whitcomb’s are trying to sell the full 20 acres of useless land. Bill added it might make sense to increase the purc hase offer because the condemnation process is expensive also. Paul stated money is not the issue. The property o wners see the property more valuable if it remains a 20-acre parc el. He suggested there may be other options such as the Ci ty Attorney writing a letter to their attorney. The Park Board directed Rick to discuss with the Ci ty Attorney the possibility of sending a letter to the Whitcomb ’s attorney regarding the three options: City doing nothing, pu rsuing the purchase as proposed, or condemnation. Park Board Meeting – June 4, 2001 Minutes 6 Review Park Dedication Fund Balance – Rick referred to an update Park Dedication Fund Summary noting the following i tems: * Received $61,840 from Trapper’s Crossing Second a nd Third Additions. • Total undesignated funds are $89,330 ($164,330 - $7 5,000). Bond Referendum Update – Rick advised that several documents pertaining to a potential referendum were reviewed and discussed at the April 2, 2001, Park Board meeting. Items in cluded were Resolution 97 – 30, Council support to referendum, the referendum process overview, various Park Board meeting minute s, Spring, 1998 article in City Newsletter, program statement/cost analysis, estimated annual tax impact analysis, and check lis t for a successful referendum. The City Council discussed a potential bond referen dum during the May 16, 2001, Goal Setting meeting. There was some interest to consider a possible bond referendum next spring. S taff and City Council will continue to consider a potential refer endum next year, a commitment of General Fund dollars for a sp ecial election, informational materials, and consultants would need to be included in next year’s budget. Rick stated he will keep the Park Board informed as discussions related to a possible bond referendum continue. Chair Lindy asked when the upcoming budget meetings will be held. Rick advised the meetings are currently on hold due to the legislature. Chair Lindy stated the Council needs to be aware of the time that it takes to prepare a referendum. Rick stated he b elieves the Council is receptive to a referendum. The question is when to pursue it and the challenge will be determining how much of a referendum the City will pursue. Behm’s Farm Park Addition Update – Rick advised the City Council approved the preliminary plat for the Behm’s Farm P ark Addition at the May 29, 2001 City Council meeting. As you r ecall in 1999 the City Council authorized selling 2.55 acres of p arkland to G.M. Development for $75,000. Proceeds of the sale of this land were used to develop the park. Behm’s Farm Park Addition consists of 2.55 acres an d is zoned R1 (single family residential) and consists of nine si ngle-family lots. Park dedication is $6,885. The park dedicat ion will be used to complete the development of the 50’ wide tr ail corridor leading to Mustang Lane and the northeastern corner of the park area. Park Board Meeting – June 4, 2001 Minutes 7 New Park Dedication Ordinance Update – Rick advised the City Council approved the Second Reading of the New Park Dedication Ordinance at the May 29, 2001 City Council meeting. The new ordinance will be in effect July 5, 2001. The actual fees will be incorporated into the City’s fee schedule. Specific fees will be discussed at the J une 6 City Council Work Session. Rick noted that at this point staff is recommending a park dedication fee of $1,665 per residential unit and $2,175 per acre for commercial/industrial. Rick advised that the Council will be discussing th e Spirit Hills development at the next work session. An update wi ll be given at the next Park Board meeting. SCHEDULE NEXT PARK BOARD MEETING: The next Park Board meeting will be held on Monday, July 2, 2001, 6:30pm, at Lino Lakes City Hall. Park Board Members Pam, Chair Lindy and Michael not ed they will not be present at the July Park Board meeting. ADJOURN: Paul Montain made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Michael O’Connor. The meeting was adjourned at 7:32pm. Respectfully Submitted, Kim Points Recording Secretary