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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-02-2002 Park Board MinutesPark Board Meeting – December 2, 2002 Minutes 1 The December 2, 2002 City of Lino Lakes Park Board meeting was called to order at 6:30pm, by Chair Lindy. Roll call was taken, members present were Paul Mont ain, Pam Taschuk, Katie Boyle, Michael O’Connor, Pat Huelman and George Lindy. Members absent was Bill Kusterman. Also present was Rick DeGardner, Public Services Di rector. APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER 4, 2002 MINUTES: Pam Taschuk made a motion, seconded by Michael O’Co nnor, to approve the November 4, 2002 minutes. The minutes were approved with Paul Montain abstaining. SETTING THE AGENDA: The Agenda was passed as presented. OPEN MIKE: No one was present for open mike. REVIEW REVISED PRELIMINARY PLAT OF CENTURY FARM NOR TH 1-7 ADDITIONS: Rick advised on November 26, 2002, staff received a n amended preliminary site plan for the Century Farm North 1-7 th Additions. The revised plan shows a significant amount of medi um density housing. The proposed park area and trails have al so been changed. Rick referred to the following attachment s that were included in the packets: • 11 x 17 colored Preliminary Parks/Open Space Plan • Narrative for Century Farm North received November 22, 2002 • July 30, 2002, memo to Park Board • August 6, 2002 memo to City Planner The Preliminary Park Plan indicates a significant p ortion of wetland will be filled and be considered as useable parkland. The developer has agreed to grade the park area as indicated in the Preliminary Grading Plan. It will be imperativ e that the City is assured the end product will provide land s uitable for development (turf, playground equipment, gazebo, et c.). It would also be helpful to know what the groundwater elevat ions for the park area are estimated to be after full developmen t of Century Farm North. Rick advised Mr. John Johnson from Metro Land Surve ying and Engineering is present to review the revised plan a nd answer questions. Park Board Meeting – December 2, 2002 Minutes 2 Mr. Johnson came forward and advised the biggest ch ange to the plat is the density. The Comprehensive Plan that w as approved by the City this summer modified the density on 75% of the land within the plat. He referred to a drawing of the p lat noting the park area has increased, there are tree preservatio n areas, a continued trail system on the north side of the roa dway and sidewalk/trails along several roadways. Mr. Johnson stated the plat calls for two miles of public trails and a half mile of trail that will connect the town homes to the trail system. The landscaping has been substantial ly enhanced with the revised plan. There is 22.5 acres of publ ic park area and seven acres of contiguous park land with five a cres of privately owned open space. The ground water eleva tions range from 892 – 895 feet. Most of the park area is abov e 898 feet. Specific park amenities have not yet been discussed with staff. Some of the lots already have some of the park dedi cation satisfied. The park dedications that have been sat isfied will be firmed up with City staff. The plan also shows a s ix foot concrete sidewalk along the collector roadway. He added the park land would be dedicated in two phases. Chair Lindy asked if Outlot C is the proposed park land and if it is currently wetland. Mr. Johnson stated Outlot C is the proposed park la nd and it is currently wetland. That wetland will not exist aft er the pond is built. Chair Lindy asked what is on the plan from the powe r line south. Mr. Johnson stated what is indicated on the plan is a trail. That line was used to arbitrarily separate the nort h and south portions of the property. Chair Lindy asked if there is something on the powe r easement and what is the significance of the power line easement . Mr. Johnson stated the power company has an overhea d power line with substantial poles on it. The easement is 90 f eet wide and the power line is not centered within the easement. The easement does restrict building but not open areas. There a re five poles across the easement but where they are positioned w ill not cause any additional problems. Chair Lindy asked for the dimensions of the effecti ve park land. Mr. Johnson referred to the map and indicated the e ffective park land is in excess of 4.5 acres. Park Board Meeting – December 2, 2002 Minutes 3 Rick stated the City almost has to include the 1.5 additional acres that will also be park land when the property to the west is developed. He stated that a few months ago the biggest hesitation with the plan was the wetland area. The revised plan indicates the wetland will be filled and graded so the land will be useable. Mr. Johnson stated he does have documentation from the Rice Creek Watershed District indicating the wetland will be f illed. Chair Lindy asked if the available park land would serve the needs for a flat non-specific field if the land is useable. Rick advised that would be enough area for a non-specifi c field. He compared the area to Clearwater Creek Park that is 5.5 acres. With the 4.5 acres and the additional 1 ½ acres the re will be enough room for fields. There are design issues du e to the power easement but it should not be a problem. Rick advi sed he is comfortable with the revised plan. Paul asked for an estimate on how many total units the park land will serve and for how long. Mr. Johnson stated the project will be built in six phases over 5-6 years. There will be another 600 units but tha t is out past 2010. Paul stated the 7.5 acres of park will serve 250 un its. He asked how many units that same park land will serve in th e future. Mr. Johnson stated the park will not serve any addi tional units. He noted the City’s Comprehensive Park Plan does no t indicate another park in the area. Paul inquired about the private open space. Mr. Johnson stated the open space around the townho mes is for the residents and will have landscaping, grass and trai ls. Paul inquired about the vegetative cover of the wet land. Mr. Johnson stated the vegetative cover is mixed in cluding cattails, canary grass and a lot of brush or dogwoo d. The wetland is 8-9 acres and is part of the public open space. Paul inquired about Outlot B and if that is also we tland. Mr. Johnson stated Outlot B is wetland but it has m ore trees and willow in it. It is much more wooded and less open . Park Board Meeting – December 2, 2002 Minutes 4 Rick asked Mr. Johnson to point out the sidewalk/tr ails along the roadways. Mr. Johnson referred to a map and pointed out the t rails. Both of the trails start at Sunset with one ending at th e ditch and one going to the cul-de-sac. The plan also calls f or a six foot concrete sidewalk. Rick stated the Park Board needs to determine if th e trail extension should go all the way to the east. Mr. Johnson stated the Planning and Zoning Board in dicated they do want a trail connection to Carl Street. The nei ghbors are still opposed to the trail connection. Rick stated there was a trail corridor in the 5 th Addition. In order to connect that trail it would have to cross the safety zone in the air park. The air park will not allow that to cross so that portion of the trail has been eliminated fr om the plan. Paul asked if the developer will be installing the trail from north Outlot A to Outlot C. Mr. Johnson advised the developer will be grading a nd installing class 5 on that trail. The City can pave it when f unds become available. Rick stated he believes that trail will not be in t hat location and it should not be graded. Pat inquired about the logic for the piece of publi c trail between two private areas. Mr. Johnson advised the purpose is for it to hopefu lly be an easement for public use. The plan shows it as open space. Pam inquired about the possibility of the private o wner adjacent to Outlot C developing that property. Mr. Gary Uhde, developer, stated he has discussed t he possibility of developing that parcel. The landowner has expre ssed interest in development but is in no hurry. The landowner i s also aware that the land may go to park use when it is develop ed. Chair Lindy asked who will be installing the concre te sidewalk. Mr. Johnson advised the installation of the concret e sidewalk has not yet been discussed. Park Board Meeting – December 2, 2002 Minutes 5 Mr. Uhde stated it is premature to discuss that iss ue. The main reason for the concrete trail is to eliminate damag e to the trail and to avoid problems with the homeowners. There w ill be additional costs for the trail and that will be dis cussed with City staff. Rick stated the park dedication for this project an d other details of the plan will be discussed further with City staff and the developer. He added he is supportive of the co ncrete sidewalk. Mr. Johnson stated there were conditions the Park B oard listed when the plat was previously reviewed. Those condi tions and issues are still valid. Mr. Uhde wants to know if the Park Board is comfortable with the revised plan. Chair Lindy stated there is no way to achieve more buildable park land on this site. If staff is comfortable the Cit y will have to work with what is laid out. Rick stated that if the Park Board is comfortable w ith the plan staff will work on the details. An update will be g iven at the January Park Board meeting. Paul inquired about Outlot F. Mr. Johnson stated the developer is reserving three outlots that will be used to integrate with adjoining parcels wh en they develop. Paul stated he is concerned about tying other homes into the park land and easy access to the park for those homes. He stated he hopes all units have easy access to the useable par k land. Mr. Johnson noted a concept plan has been provided for those other areas to the Planning and Zoning Board. It was the consensus of the Park Board to support t he revised plan with the assumption that the details will be w orked out between the developer and City staff. REVIEW PHEASANT HILLS TRAIL PROPOSAL: Rick advised City staff has attempted the past seve ral years to provide a trail connection in the northeastern port ion of the Pheasant Hills Development (identified in the Compr ehensive Park Plan and Development Guide as Trail No. 43). This trail would provide an additional connection to the Regional Pa rk Reserve Trail System. This trail would complement the trai l recently completed off of Timberwolf Trail and provide a nic e trail loop for residents in the Pheasant Hills Development. Park Board Meeting – December 2, 2002 Minutes 6 Past attempts to make this trail connection a reali ty has not been successful. Last month, staff was approached by members of the Pheasant Hills Preserve Homeowners Association regarding providing a path in the northeastern area of Pheasant Hills. This trail is located in Outlot C of the Pheasant Hills 6 th Addition. Rick referred to a map indicating the location of the proposed trail. The approximately 700 feet long trail has recently been constructed with base material to raise it to the proper elevat ion. Also, two culverts to provide drainage have been installe d. Four inches of aggregate and two inches of bituminous st ill needs to be installed to complete the trail. Subsequent discussions have lead to the following r ecommendations for the Park Board to consider: The Pheasant Hills Homeowners Association will prov ide the following: 1. A commitment to remove trees damaged by the path construction and removal of any fill material that has strayed from the construction area. (DONE) 2. A letter from the Rice Creek Watershed District ind icating their approval of the construction recently done. (DONE) 3. A signed quit-claim deed from Mr. Vaughan providing a 20’ wide trail easement where the existing trail is loc ated. The City of Lino Lakes will be responsible for the following: 1. Reimburse Mr. Vaughan $750 for the installation of the culverts. 2. Pay for the aggregate that will be installed by Mr. Vaughan. 3. Commit to asphalt the trail when funds become avail able. 4. Continue this trail to connect with the existing Re gional Park Reserve Trail System when funds become availab le. The estimated cost to complete the trail project, i ncluding material cost for the aggregate, installation of th e bituminous, and extending the trail to the Regional Park Reserv e Trail System is $35,000. Rick recommended the Park Board approve this import ant trail project. Chair Lindy inquired about number 4 of the City’s responsibilities asking about the continuation of t he trail. Park Board Meeting – December 2, 2002 Minutes 7 Rick referred to a map indicating the trail does en d about 1,500 feet before the Regional Park Reserve Trail System. The cost of $35,000 would be to complete the entire trail. The Homeowner’s Association does want some assurance that the City will keep the completion of the trail in mind when funds become a vailable. Chair Lindy stated the completion of the trail shou ld be discussed at the Goal Setting meeting in January. Paul Montain made a motion, seconded by Pam Taschuk , to proceed wit the Pheasant Hills Trail proposal, as presented . Motion carried unanimously. REVIEW PROPOSED SITE AGREEMENT WITH CENTENNIAL SCHO OL DISTRICT: Rick advised on November 26, 2002, City staff met w ith Dr. Christiansen and Ms. Wyland to discuss the proposed site agreement draft dated 11-26-02. In summary, the City of Lino Lakes will be responsi ble to maintain the outdoor recreation facilities at the C entennial Middle School, Rice Lake Elementary School, and Blu e Heron Elementary School. In return the Parks and Recreat ion Department will be given first priority use of Middle School G ym 1 from 5:30-10 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and Rice Lake Gyms B/C on Tuesday and Thursday from 6-10 p.m. The add itional scheduling of the facilities will be governed by th e District’s Community Use of Facilities Policy No. 2060. Rick noted a copy of that policy was included in the packets. As indicated in the September 25, 2002, memo to Ms. Linda Waite- Smith, the City has experienced a lot of frustratio n with the School District over the past several months. Rick stated that in order to provide the best possible programs and ser vices for the residents of Lino Lakes, he is generally comfortabl e with the proposed site agreement with a few necessary correc tions, which have been communicated to the School District. Rick asked for comments from the Park Board regardi ng the draft agreement noting he intends to present the draft to the City Council for consideration at the December 16 City C ouncil meeting. Pam asked if there are any provisions in the draft agreement regarding canceling the use of gym space at the las t minute. Rick advised that is covered in the draft agreement . A deadline will be established to coincide with preparation of the activities brochure. He added there will be additi onal field space at Blue Heron once the soccer field and softb all field have been constructed. Park Board Meeting – December 2, 2002 Minutes 8 RECREATION DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Rick referred to the Program Highlights Flyer from November 2002. He noted thirty-nine youth attended the Cosmic Bowl ing and Tropics trip on November 8. The next set of trips will be over winter break. The Five-Player Basketball season will begin Decemb er 4. Nine teams are in the league this season. The Family Turkey Shoot has 167 adult/child teams p articipate and 81 volunteers helped with the year’s event, which w as held on Saturday, November 16, 2002 at Centennial Middle Sc hool – the highest turnout to date. The Breakfast with Santa event reached an all time high of 221 participants on November 5, at which time the City officially closed registration. The event will take place on Saturday, December 14, at St. Joseph’s Church banquet hall. The outdoor skating rink season is schedule to begi n December 14, weather permitting. The winter activities guide wa s delivered to homes last week. PARKS DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Rick reviewed a memo from Mike Hoffman, Parks Super visor, which summarizes the maintenance highlights for November 2002. Rick noted maintenance activities have included leveling all hockey and pleasure rinks, board repair to hockey rinks, i nventory and winterizing wood duck houses. Other activities inc luded over seeding athletic fields, assisting with prairie bur ns, removal of pumping equipment and buckthorn removal in South Re shanau Lake Estates Park area. Rick added in late October the City was visited by an Ag Chemical Investigator from the Department of Agriculture. S he conducted an inspection of the facility to see if the City is compliant with current regulations. Overall, she said the Ci ty does a good job with its pesticide program. There are a few ar eas that will be addressed and completed by mid December. PROJECT UPDATES: Clearwater Creek Park – Rick indicated the weather cooperated enough to allow a netavator to be used to till the peat with a couple inches of subsurface clay. The remaining ea rthwork will need to be done next spring. Highland Meadows Park – Rick advised the development of Highland Meadows Park has progressed pretty well. Staff has issues with the quality of the asphalt trails. Staff met with the general contractor and subcontractor to express those conce rns. It was Park Board Meeting – December 2, 2002 Minutes 9 agreed that several areas will be redone next sprin g. Staff is very disappointed with the quality of the bituminou s work and will be hesitant on using this particular subcontra ctor on any future work. All landscaping except the landscape bed adjacent t o the playground area and the Oak Trees have been install ed. The irrigation system has also been installed. Bid openings for the playground equipment proposals will be on December 2, 2002. The Park Board is welcome to rev iew the proposal after the December 2 Park Board meeting th e playground equipment proposals will be on display for resident s the week of December 9. Timberwolf Trail – Rick advised this trail segment has been completed. There is still some restoration and cle anup work, which will be done next spring. This trail turned out very well and will generate a lot of use. Birch Park Trail - Rick advised this trail is nearing completion. The timber staircase has been complete d as well as the pier shafts have been installed. The remaining deck work should be completed by mid December. Park Maintena nce staff will install the plant material for the timber staircase next spring. Michael inquired about the Skate Board park. Rick stated the use at the Skate Board Park is down from previous years and there has been some vandalism. Other than that the park has done well. The Park Board may evaluate the park at some point in the future to determine whether or not it should stay open. Rick noted the equipment at Woods of Baldwin Lake P ark has been replaced. Katie asked if repairs will be made at Highland Mea dows Park or if the City has to live with the poor bituminous wo rk. Rick stated staff and the contractor came to a consensus on what made sense to replace. Pat inquired about the status of the Comprehensive Parks Plan. Rick stated staff was waiting for environmental inf ormation to include in the plan. It now makes sense to put all of the information together and possibly revise the Compre hensive Parks Plan. NEXT PARK BOARD MEETING: Rick advised the next Park Board meeting would be h eld on Monday, January 6, 2003, 6:30pm. Park Board Meeting – December 2, 2002 Minutes 10 ADJOURN: Paul Montain made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Pam Taschuk. The meeting was adjourned at 8:05pm. Respectfully Submitted, Kim Points Recording Secretary Minutes were approved at the February 2, 2003 Park Board Meeting.