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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-01-2004 Park Board MinutesPark Board Meeting – March 1, 2004 Minutes 1 The March 1, 2004 City of Lino Lakes Park Board mee ting was called to order at 6:33pm, by Chair Lindy. Roll call was taken, members present were Pam Tasch uk, Pat Huelman, Katie Boyle, Aaron Frederickson, George Li ndy, Paul Montain and Bill Kusterman. Also present was Rick DeGardner, Public Services Di rector. SETTING THE AGENDA: Paul added Item 10b, Roads and Shoulders, under New Business. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM FEBRUARY 2, 2004: Pat Huelman made a motion, seconded by Pam Taschuk, to approve the February 2, 2004 minutes. The minutes were app roved with Paul Montain abstaining. OPEN MIKE: Mr. Mark Tafte, 6441 Clearwater Creek Drive, came f orward and stated he moved into the Clearwater Creek developme nt approximately five weeks ago. He inquired about th e plans for Clearwater Creek Park and if those plans included a n ice rink. Rick advised an ice rink at Clearwater Creek Park h ad been previously discussed. The problem is the damage th at is done to the turf during the off season. The budget is also an issue. In the past few years, the City has phased out unsuper vised skating rinks. There would have to be a lot of neighborhoo d support for the City to pursue an ice rink at that park. He su ggested Mr. Tafte raise the issue of a skating rink at a neighb orhood meeting. Rick also advised Clearwater Creek Park was master planned a few years ago with a lot of neighborhood input. Curren tly, the large open play area will remain an open grass area. Chair Lindy noted the master plan for the park is a vailable at City Hall for review. Rick indicated he would send Mr. Tafte a copy of th e master plan for Clearwater Creek Park. Aaron stated he is the Park Board liaison for Clear water Creek. He advised Mr. Tafte he would be happy to attend an y neighborhood meetings to discuss the park. ADOPT 2004 PARK BOARD GOALS FOR CITY COUNCIL CONSID ERATION: Rick referred to a memo regarding the tentative Par k Board Goals based on discussion the past few months. He noted the estimated project costs are preliminary. Park Board Meeting – March 1, 2004 Minutes 2 Rick summarized the possible trail projects along B irch Street that have also been discussed at the January and Fe bruary Park Board meetings. The estimated project cost for Bir ch Street, North side from Black Duck Drive to Pheasant Hills Drive, is $237,000. This project will necessitate the extens ion of two 88” concrete arch pipes near Quail Ridge Park that must maintain the flow of water during construction. Several retaini ng walls to facilitate the trail construction are also included in the project estimate. The estimated project costs do n ot adhere to the County’s new standards of a 22’ buffer zone fro m a rural roadway to the trail. Further discussions with Ano ka County would need to occur to determine whether this proje ct is acceptable. If Anoka County is unwilling to deviat e from the 22’ wide buffer zone on rural road sections, curb and g utter and storm sewer would need to be installed, since sever al areas along Birch Street do not provide adequate space to const ruct a trail with a 22’ wide buffer (steep slopes, wetlands area , etc.). Paul asked when the County adopted the new standard s. Rick advised the County initiated the new standards in t he past year. Paul stated the City has water retention ponds alon g several areas where trails could not then be constructed. He stated he has an issue with where they are putting the ponds because there is no way to construct trails in those areas. Rick stated the new standards do make sense in area s that are not yet developed. He indicated staff would work with the County to get the trail segment constructed in spite of the n ew standards. City staff is hoping the County will be reasonable and deviate from the standards in certain areas. Pat stated that if the City had known about the new standards, the City would have required more easement area for trail development. Rick stated he believes staff can work through the process and work with the County on this issue. The City would need written approval to proceed with the project. He stated he wanted the Park Board to be aware of this issue. The County’s priority is safety in relation to the new standards. Chair Lindy stated the Park Board needs to decide i f it wants to commit to this project before staff begins the proc ess with the County. Rick referred to the other possible project, Birch Street from Sherman Lake Road to Centerville Road. The purpose of this trail project is an attempt to provide safe pedestrian ac cess for the future residents of Stoneybrook Development. The e stimated Park Board Meeting – March 1, 2004 Minutes 3 project costs while maintaining a 22’ clear buffer zone on both sides of Birch Street is $220,000. Approximately, $70,000 of the project cost is to provide curb and gutter along ab out 500’ of the project to reduce the clear zone from 22’ to 10 ’, thereby reducing the impact on the wetlands. Rick noted Jo n Vondelinde, Anoka County Parks and Recreation Director and Nick Eeloff, Anoka County Parks Planner have expressed support for bot h projects. Rick advised that if the projects are included in t he goals and approved by the City Council, staff would then proc eed with the County. Pat stated he believes the Park Board is behind bot h projects but the project from Black Duck Drive to Pheasant Hills Drive needs to be pursued now. Pat Huelman made a motion, seconded by Pam Taschuk to eliminate the Birch Street project, Sherman Lake Road to Cent erville Road from the 2004 Park Board Goals. The motion carried . Bill stated he believes the project cost is too muc h money for only one project when the City does not even have d ollars for playgrounds. He suggested the City pursue an agree ment with the County to do the project at some point in the futur e without the 22’ buffer zone requirement. Rick advised the Park Board needs to determine if t hey want to pursue the project. He stated staff would feel bet ter about going to the County is the Park Board and City Coun cil are committed to the project and have the dollars set a side. The estimated cost for the project is a lot of money fo r only one project. The question is if the City should contin ue to work on neighborhood parks or spend money on trail connecti ons. Pat stated he believes the project should be pursue d now. Pam stated she agrees that the project should be pu rsued now. Residents have indicated trail connections are very important. If the City puts this project off now, the City may not get cooperation from the County in the future. Aaron stated the costs could be much higher five ye ars from now. He indicated it may be best to pursue the project n ow. Rick advised the City did make a commitment at some point in the past to have a contiguous trail segment along Birch Street. Pat Huelman made a motion, seconded by Pam Taschuk, to include the Birch Street trail project, north side from Bla ck Duck Drive Park Board Meeting – March 1, 2004 Minutes 4 to Pheasant Hills Drive, in the 2004 Park Board Goa ls, with the exception of unforeseen issues or expenses. Bill stated he is very concerned that the City will have no dollars left to take care of the parks or other eme rgencies. Chair Lindy stated the parks fund is getting very l ow. However, there are still some undesignated dollars in the pa rk fund. More dollars will be dedicated as development occurs wit hin the City. Motion carried with Paul Montain voting no. Paul Montain made a motion, seconded by Pam Taschuk to accept the following listed Park Board Goals, including the Bi rch Street project, north side from Black Duck Drive to Pheasa nt Hills Drive: • Extending Glenview Trail to Sunrise Park parking lo t • Pave Birch Park Trail-Boardwalk to parking lot • Designate Raven’s Hollow Park Dedication Funds to f uture Birchwood Acres Park development • Construct trails at Birch Street/Hodgson Road intersection • Holly Drive pole relocation for new trail • Survey Arena Acres residents regarding existing ten nis courts The motion carried. REVIEW 2003-2004 WARMING HOUSE REPORT: Rick referred to a copy of the 2003-2004 Warming Ho use Report, compiled by Barry Bernstein, Recreation Program Sup ervisor. He stated Park Board member’s received a copy of the r eport in their packets. The report will be reviewed in detail nex t fall. Aaron asked if the City has data regarding the atte ndance at warming houses in relation to the time of day. Ric k advised the City does have daily attendance reports in relation to every other hour. That information can be provided at th e fall meeting when the report is reviewed. He noted the attendan ce numbers do not include the usage by Centennial Youth Hockey. RECREATION DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Rick referred to the Program Highlights Flyer from February 2004. He noted the next set of Field Trip outings would t ake place over Spring Break week (March 29 – April 2). Approximat ely 209 children and adults were in attendance for the 3 rd Annual Club (Centennial and Lino Lakes Unite with Blaine) Sweet heart Dance that was held on Saturday, February 14 at Centennia l Elementary. Park Board Meeting – March 1, 2004 Minutes 5 The Recreation Department is currently accepting re gistrations for the Indoor Soccer program, however, this season the number of teams will be reduced from 8 to 6/7 due to the yout h indoor soccer program’s need for additional turf time. Th e registration period for returning Adult Softball teams is open. It is anticipated that all the leagues will fill. The warming house season began on December 30, 2003 and closed on February 20, 2004. This was a more traditional sea son in the sense of the weather. Rick noted the spring editio n of the Recreation Review was mailed out on February 18. A lso, the Recreation Department is now accepting applications for summer employment. PARKS DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Rick reviewed a memo from Mike Hoffman, Parks Super visor, which summarizes the maintenance highlights February 2004 . Rick noted maintenance activities have included daily rink mai ntenance, snow plowing and blowing, building maintenance and equip ment maintenance. Some City staff attended pesticide re certification training and school of turf grass management. OLD BUSINESS: Outdoor Recreation Grant for Clearwater Creek Park Completed – Rick advised the City just received the final payme nt for the Outdoor Recreation Grant for development of Clearwa ter Creek Park. The $125,000 certainly went a long way towar ds the development of this park. City staff is very pleas ed with the final product of Clearwater Creek Park and has hear d several favorable comments from neighborhood residents. 2004 Park Liaisons – Rick referred to an updated copy of the 2004 Park Liaisons included in the packet. Paul Montain has been appointed to the Community Service Award Committee. Paul asked if the City should possibly consider sel ling LaMotte Park. Chair Lindy stated that issue was discussed at the last meeting. There are legal issues with the property not remain ing a park area. Paul asked if the City should keep Woolans Park lis ted as a City park. Rick stated staff has designated undeveloped parks with a different designation on the updated Parks and Trai ls Map. NEW BUSINESS: Joint Meeting with Environmental Board on March 31, 2004 – Rick advised City staff has set up a joint meeting with the Park Board Meeting – March 1, 2004 Minutes 6 Environmental Board and the Park Board on Wednesday , March 31, 2004 at 6:30pm in the Community Room. The purpose of this meeting is to update the board members on the Compr ehensive Parks, Recreation Facilities, Open Space/Greenways, and Trail System Plan project. Mr. Jeff Schoenbauer of Braue r and Associates has been retained to coordinate this pro ject. This will also provide an opportunity for the Envir onmental Board Members and Park Board Members to provide input in several areas such as reviewing citywide open space, greenways-pa rks, and trail issues. It is anticipated that the Park Board will continue to be involved throughout the various phases of the pr oject. The final draft plan will be presented to the City Coun cil, Environmental Board and Park Board at a joint work session, perhaps in May or June. This meeting will take place of the April Park Boar d meeting. Any items related to the Park Board agenda will be addressed at the conclusion of the joint meeting. Paul expressed concern that perhaps the Park Board is not as involved with the project as it should be. Rick st ated he is anticipating that the Park Board will be involved a gain during the process. It is also anticipated that the Envir onmental Board will be involved in a similar manner. The Park Boa rd will have to be comfortable with the plan before it is presen ted to the City Council. Roads and Shoulders – Paul stated that due to the Stoneybrook development that occurred last fall, Birch Street h as a new road configuration on the south side. The new configura tion has left a portion of the roadway with no shoulder. He stat ed that is a huge concern and a safety issue. He indicated he i s concerned that this practice is a dangerous precedent for the City as more development occurs. Rick advised is not familiar with the plans and spe cifications for Birch Street in relation to Stoneybrook develop ment. He indicated he would look into that issue and inform the Park Board by memo. Paul stated he is not a traffic engineer but believ es there was a better way to configure the roadway. He stated the elimination of the shoulder needs to be looked at so it does no t happen again anywhere within the City. He stated he would also like options to improve that situation on Birch Street. NEXT PARK BOARD MEETING: Rick advised the next Park Board meeting would be h eld on March 31, 2004, 6:30 p.m., in the Community Room. Park Board Meeting – March 1, 2004 Minutes 7 ADJOURN: Paul Montain made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Bill Kusterman. The meeting was adjourned at 7:53 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Kim Points Recording Secretary These minutes were approved at the March 31, 2004 P ark Board Meeting.