HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-02-2001 Park Board MinutesPark Board Meeting – July 2, 2001 Minutes 1 The July 2, 2001 City of Lino Lakes Park Board meet ing was called to order at 6:35pm, by Acting Chair Huelman. Roll call was taken, members present were Paul Mont ain, Chris Welsand, Pat Huelman, and Bill Kusterman. Members a bsent were Michael O’Connor, George Lindy, and Pam Taschuk. Also present were Rick DeGardner, Public Services D irector, Sandie Wood, Office Manager. APPROVAL OF June 4, 2001 MINUTES: Paul Montain made a motion, seconded by Chris Welsa nd, to approve the June 4, 2001 minutes. The minutes were approve d. SETTING THE AGENDA: The Agenda was passed as presented. OPEN MIKE: Ms. Terry O’Connell, Environmental Board, came forw ard and stated the Environmental Board is trying to get to know al l the various City Boards. She stated Park Board Members are wel come to attend the Environmental Board meetings and she is present to answer questions. She noted the Environmental Board meeti ngs are held the last Wednesday of every month. Rick referred to a letter that was included in the packets from Ms. Annette Haugen, 6575 LaCasse Drive. The letter expressed her concern regarding the lack of development of Clearw ater Creek Park. It also outlined her reasons for wanting the park and noted that she hopes the City will find the funding sources if the grant is not awarded to develop the park. Paul asked if Rick has responded to the letter. Ri ck stated he has not contacted Ms. Haugen. Chris asked if she was aware of the neighborhood me etings that were held regarding this issue. Rick stated she mo ved into her home after the master planning process. Acting Chair Huelman stated the development of the park certainly is a concern that the Park Board has had before. R esidents need to know that just because there is land set aside f or a park does not mean the City has the funding to develop the pa rk. Rick noted he would contact Ms. Haugen. The Clearw ater Creek newsletter also explained the City process for park development. Acting Chair Huelman stated the good news is that t he grant money may be awarded and the City has made the commitment to set aside dollars to match the grant.
Park Board Meeting – July 2, 2001 Minutes 2 DISCUSS POSSIBLE SKATE PARK AT CITY HALL PARK: Rick advised staff has had several discussions with Mr. Dan Kieger, a resident of Lino Lakes and Board Member o f FLAAA. Mr. Kieger is interested in pursuing a skate park facil ity at City Hall Park. Rick indicated he gave Mr. Kieger a bri ef history on the City’s pursuit of a skate park facility for res idents. Mr. Kieger is confident that he can raise adequate fund s to provide a pad for a skate park facility. If Mr. Kieger is su ccessful in providing a pad, the Park Board may want to conside r re-designating funds to purchase equipment for the ska te park. As discussed at previous Park Board meetings, City Hall Park is one of the few park locations that can accommodate a skate park. Since there is such a high demand for this type of facility for the youth of Lino Lakes, Rick suggested this projec t move forward as quickly as possible. Chris asked about the geographic location of a skat e park. Rick stated the school was better centrally located. Ho wever, City Hall Park is the most suitable neighborhood park ev en if it is not the best location. Mr. Kieger came forward and stated the kids will co me to the park when they know it is there. The area kids are goin g into Minneapolis now every weekend to skate. A fund rai sing plan has been put together to raise the funds for the pad. He outlined some of the types of fund raising that will occur n oting the charitable gambling organizations have also been co ntacted. He indicated he has a bid in the amount of $4,000 to c onstruct the pad. He stated a plaque would be placed at the par k for those who contributed to the project. He indicated he an d the kids are very excited about the project and would like a com mitment from the Park Board to help with the project. Bill asked if they know what type of equipment is n eeded. Mr. Krieger stated he and the kids have looked through the book and Rick has indicated $30,000 is available to purchase the equipment. Rick stated $30,000 was the total project cost. He suggested $20,000 be designated for equipment. The Park Boar d could consider donating some dollars for the pad. He add ed this is a great opportunity to provide a skate park in the Ci ty. The question is if the Park Board will designate the do llars for the equipment and consider helping with the cost of the pad. Paul stated he thought that originally $10,000 was designated for this project. He added the City of Centerville is going to have a wheels project.
Park Board Meeting – July 2, 2001 Minutes 3 Mr. Kieger stated he is not familiar with what is g oing on in Centerville. Communities can have more than one fa cility to offer some variety. Paul expressed concern about the quality of the pad . Mr. Kieger reviewed the details of the pad noting he believes the skate park will have a good base. Paul stated City staff should inspect the pad. Ric k noted the pad would have a 4-inch sub base and 2 inch bitumin ous to make sure it stays solid. Also, there are areas at City Hall Park to place the pad. Paul asked how many dollars are in the undesignated funds. Rick stated there is approximately $160,000 in undesigna ted funds due to additional dollars that came from Trappers Cross ing and Spirit Hills. There are funds available for this project. The Park Board would be in the same situation right now if t he school district had said yes to the proposal. The equipme nt is moveable and components can be added. City staff will move the equipment and store it. Paul inquired about any liability issues. Rick sta ted the ramps would be no higher than three feet which requires n o additional insurance. There will be signage requiring helmets and the park will be self patrolling. If there are too many pro blems the equipment can be removed. Bill asked for an estimate as to how many kids will use the park. Mr. Kieger stated there would be approximately 15-2 0 kids at the park per day. Chris asked for a time estimate to raise the money for the pad. Mr. Kieger indicated the funds should be obtained b y the third Friday in July. Chris asked about a time frame to get the park up a nd running. Rick stated the City needs 4-5 week lead time for t he equipment. The skate park would be open through the first of O ctober. Acting Chair Huelman expressed concern relating to the access of City Hall Park in regards to safety and additional traffic. He asked if more neighborhood input should be obtained . Rick stated City Hall Park is large enough to place the pad awa y from residential housing and adjoining property owners. Acting Chair Huelman noted the Friends of the Parks might be able to help with some funding.
Park Board Meeting – July 2, 2001 Minutes 4 Paul Montain made a motion, seconded by Chris Welsa nd, to proceed with this item and take approximately $20,000 out o f undesignated funds for the wheels project. Motion carried. TRAILS UPDATE: Pheasant Hills – Timberwolf Trail to Regional Park Reserve – Rick advised City staff met with TKDA to review the prop osed trail alignment. The survey crew will be surveying the p roperty within the next week. The City Engineer will then prepare the specs and go out for bid. Preliminary estimates indicate tha t the total project costs may exceed the $50,000 designated in the 2001 Park Board Goals. Also, the City Attorney has drafted easement grants for the park trail for the adjoining property owners. The easem ent documents need to be accepted by the City Council and recorde d with the County prior to construction taking place. Due to the large scope of the project, the project will probably not be completed until this fall. Paul inquired about any possible easement problems. Rick stated both affected property owners are comfortable with the trail. The recording of the easement documents is just a f ormality. Highland Meadows West – Rick advised a portion of trails in the Highland Meadows West Development was recently cons tructed. A copy of the final plat highlighting the paved area was included in the packets. Residents along the trail corridor were in the process of landscaping and sodding their yards. Si nce there were significant slopes adjacent to the trail, it made s ense to install the trail prior to any final yard work bein g completed. The total project costs amounted to $11,250. Acting Chair Huelman asked if the project cost was taken out of designated funds. Rick advised the cost for the pr oject was taken out of the funds designated for trail improve ments. Acting Chair Huelman asked if the trail will extend to the west. Rick indicated the trail will not extend to the wes t any time in the near future. RECREATION DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Rick referred to the Program Highlights Flyer from June 2001. He noted the Summer Playground Program has 239 childre n enrolled as of June 21. This is an increase of 20 participants from last year’s final total. The Options Program is running smoothly despite some minor building issues. Classes starte d this month for the Preschool Playtime Program. The Soccer Fun damentals has once again shown its popularity with five out of th e six classes being offered are at their maximum capacity of 24 p articipants.
Park Board Meeting – July 2, 2001 Minutes 5 The City is currently accepting registrations for t he Fall Soccer and Youth Tackle Football. Rick added this year’s Kite Day was a success despi te the cold and cloudy weather. The Fall Activities Guide will be mailed out the last week of August. PARKS DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Rick reviewed a memo from Mike Hoffman, Parks Super visor, which summarizes the maintenance highlights for June 2001 . Rick noted June activities included daily ballfield prep, irri gation systems energized and repaired, interior painting of the Ci ty Hall warming house (Girl Scout project), park and trail sign installation, and the prep work for the irrigation and seeding of Marshan Park. NEW BUSINESS: August Park Board Meeting – Rick advised the August Park Board meeting will be held on Monday, July 30, at 6:30pm at City Hall. September Park Tour/BBQ, Tuesday, September 4 at 5:30pm – Rick stated the annual park tour and bbq will be held on Tuesday, September 4, at 5:30pm. The following sites are on the Park Board Tour agenda: 1. Sunrise Park 2. Pheasant Hills Trail 3. Marshan Park Rick stated any suggestions for the park tour or wh ere to have the bbq will be taken. Paul stated the bbq can be held at his house. Rick thanked Paul and indicated the bbq will be held at Paul Montain’s house. Acting Chair Huelman suggested the park tour includ e the skate park if progress has been made with the project. OLD BUSINESS: Birch Park Trail Update – Rick advised at the June 4, 2001 Park Board meeting, Park Board members directed staff to discuss with the City Attorney the possibility of contacting the Whitcomb’s attorney regarding the procuring a trail connection from Trappers Crossing Development to Birch Park. As requested, City Attorney Mr. Hawkins contacted M r. Seykora. Mr. Seykora indicated the Whitcomb’s originally pla nned to sell the 20 acres of land to a developer for a good pric e. However, the Whitcomb’s decided not to execute the agreement due to tax
Park Board Meeting – July 2, 2001 Minutes 6 and capital gains implications. The Whitcomb’s hav e decided to hold the property for a few years to make a determi nation whether to sell it. The Whitcomb’s are concerned about car ving out some land for a trail connection since it may have an ad verse affect on the potential development of the remaining land. Therefore, the Whitcomb’s are not receptive to selling propert y to the City at the present time. It appears the City is faced with two options. Fir st, the City can wait until the parcel of land is sold to a deve loper and subsequently receive the necessary strip of land to fulfill park dedication requirements. Secondly, the City can pur sue condemnation proceedings. A layout of the entire p roperty would need to be done to determine if any land condemnati on would affect the remaining parcel. This may result in th e City compensating the Whitcomb’s for an amount significa ntly higher that the value of the land. Paul inquired about what the City Attorney meant by significant costs. Rick stated that because the Whitcomb’s int end to sell the entire 20 acres to a developer, the cost for th e strip of land may include more than just the land value beca use it breaks up the 20 acres. Acting Chair Huelman suggested the City get an ease ment from them and then the developer would get credit for that me eting the park dedication requirements. Rick stated the Whitcomb’s also have concerns about an easement because of the effect it may have on the remaining property. Chris inquired about the process and cost of condem nation. Rick stated condemnation takes 120 days after the City C ouncil’s approval. The cost of the process varies. Paul noted that once the land is condemned, it can be built on and no time is lost. The only remaining question i s the value of the land. He suggested the possibility of developi ng another park for the property owners to the south. Rick st ated the Comprehensive Plan shows that are in the Phase 2 or Phase 3 Growth Stage. Chris clarified that the City does have funds set a side for the development of the trail. Paul requested staff investigate the costs of conde mnation and the City Engineer look at the impact on the remaini ng property. Acting Chair Huelman stated the City only needs an acre or less and the City Engineer should look at the assessment of that one acre. Rick stated City staff’s opinions may be ver y different from that of an expert.
Park Board Meeting – July 2, 2001 Minutes 7 Bill asked if there is any way to gauge the feeling s of the residents in this area relating to condemnation. R ick indicated a survey would have to be sent out. Bill expressed concern about infringing on the righ t of the property owner to make other residents happy. Paul noted staff may find the cost of condemnation is prohibitive. Paul Montain made a motion, seconded by Bill Kuster man, for staff to investigate the cost of condemnation and the imp act on the remaining property. Motion carried. Spirit Hills Update – Rick advised the City Council approved the preliminary plat of the Spirit Hills Development at the June 11, 2001 City Council meeting. The park dedication wil l consist of 100 percent cash. Therefore, the park dedication w ill consist of 51 lots at $1,665 = $84,915. Paul inquired about a County trail continuation fro m Centerville into Lino Lakes to Minneapolis. Rick advised he ha s not heard about any progress relating to a County trail conne ction through the City. Paul stated he was told that the trail is definitel y going to connect with Lino Lakes and into Minneapolis. Ms. O’Connell, Environmental Board, came forward an d asked why the Park Board obtained the cash park dedication as opposed to land in Spirit Hills. Acting Chair Huelman stated the plan is to have a t rail corridor on the north side of Birch. There are already a nu mber of parks in the area to serve the residents. Also, the size of the proposed park area was very small. Ms. O’Connell asked if the Park Board ever consider s developing nature preserve type parks due to funding issues. Acting Chair Huelman noted there are many different types of parks and more trails were opted for in Clearwater Creek. Paul added that the City also has parks that are to o expensive to develop so the parks consist of green space. He re viewed the many different types of parks within the City notin g that they try to blend the parks with the different types of resident needs.
Park Board Meeting – July 2, 2001 Minutes 8 SCHEDULE NEXT PARK BOARD MEETING: The next Park Board meeting will be held on Monday, July 30, 2001, 6:30pm, at Lino Lakes City Hall. ADJOURN: Paul Montain made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Chris Welsand. The meeting was adjourned at 7:56pm. Respectfully Submitted, Kim Points Recording Secretary