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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 16, '11 Park Commission agenda packet City o f Ia k e Elmo 3800 Laverne Avenue North Lake Elmo, Minnesota 55042 (651) 777-5510 Fax: (651) 777-9615 Www.LakeElmo.Org NOTICE OF MEETING The City of Lake Elmo Parks Commission will conduct its regular meeting on Wednesday, February 16, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. AGENDA 1. Agenda 2. Minutes, December 20, 2010 Minutes, January 19, 2011 3. Welcome to new member Steve DeLapp 4. Update on Stillwater Area School District proposal for ECFC in Lake Elmo 5. Update and review MPCA grading and landscape plans for Landfill —"Sunfish Lake Park West" and discussion related to potential future recreational uses 6. Update on planning and funding of Village / Stillwater High School base trail 7. Ammendment of CIP to include lighting improvements and volleyball court improvements at Lions Park 8. Development of 2011 Park Commission Work Plan 9. Adjourn The public is invited to attend. DRAFT Lake Elmo Park Commission Minutes of the Regular Meeting December 20, 2010 Chairman Ames called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Members Present: Mike Zeno, Marty Dobbs, John Ames, David Steele, Judith Blackford, Rolf Larson, Pam Hartley STAFF PRESENT: Project Assistant Kriegler 1. Agenda Agenda was approved as amended (M/S, Steele / Larson, 7-0) Item number 5. "Discussion on park safety and efforts to promote appropriate park use" was moved up to item number 3 to accommodate W.C. deputy's schedule. Item 4A, 2010 Capital Improvement Plan review was added as a compliment to Item 4, "Update on 2011-2016 Park Capital Improvement Plan". Item 7, a discussion of"Park Commission board member election" was added. 2. Minutes November 15, 2010 Approved as amended (M/S Hartley/Steele) 7-0. Last paragraph of"Review and discussion on the Park CIP" add "possible" to "shifting of possible dog park from Lake Jane Hills to Sunfish Lake Park West. 3. Discussion on park safety and efforts to promote appropriate park use Washington County Sheriff's deputy Loehr addressed the Parks Commission and provided some insights for increasing public safety in Lake Elmo parks. He indicated that the two most pressing issues were related to car break-ins and use of the park after hours. He suggested that both of these matters be addressed with prominent signage at the entrance of the park. He suggested a highly visible warning not to leave any valuables in the car. He also suggested that "high visibility" be a dominant goal in the planning and development of parks and facilities. Officer Loehr's presentation was cut short due to his need to respond to an emergency call. Action items that the Commission addressed are: 1. Evaluate parks for public safety during all park visits. 2. Conduct a safety audit of parks in the spring, with Sunfish Lake Park, Pebble Park and Kleis Parks being in the greatest need of such an audit. 4. Park Commission meeting schedule for the year 2011 The Commission designated Wednesday, January 19 and Wednesday, February 16 as the alternative meeting dates for the two regular 3rd Monday meeting dates that are in conflict with national holidays. A motion was passed and approved (M/S, Dobbs/Blackford, 7-0) adopting the following 2011 Park Commission meeting schedule: Wednesday, January 19 Wednesday, February 16 Monday, March 21 1 Monday, April 18 Monday, May 16 Monday, June 20 Monday, July 18 Monday, August 15 Monday, September 19 Monday, October 17 Monday, November 21 Monday, December 19 5. Update on 2011-2016 Park Capital Improvement Plan It was requested that the commission consider possible Lions Park light and volleyball improvements at the January meeting in addition to receiving an update on the Demontreville Trail reconstruction project and the Village/ SAHS base trail project. 5A. 2011 Discussion of 2010 Capital Improvement Plan review The Commission discussed the Park Capital Improvement Plan planning process and discussed opportunities for improvement. Given the need for detailed information related to the maintenance and general condition of existing conditions and facilities, it was requested that Public Works / Parks Superintendent Mike Bouthilet attend park commission meetings at least two times per year—once in early summer to report on progress on ongoing park improvement projects, and once in the fall in November to participate in the CIP process. It was also requested that an overview of the years planned improvement projects be presented in October of each year in preparation for CIP discussions in November. 6. Sign program planning for recently completed Demontreville and Sunfish Lake Park The Parks Commission discussed the need /opportunity to provide some regulatory signage at Sunfish Lake Park and Demontreville Wildlife Area given the availability of recently constructed information kiosks in these locations. Proposed sign layouts were reviewed and comments made. For the SFLP "rules" sign it was suggested that "motorized vehicles be allowed only on the entry road and parking area". A similar sign was discussed for DWA, without the need to address ski trail related matters. In addition to the "rules" signs members expressed an interest in posting that S.F.L.P. was under Conservation Easement with the Land Trust. 7. Park Commission board member election The history of procedures for electing officers was discussed. The merits of changing the structure to include the vice-chair automatically being designated as chair person the following year was discussed. No changes were made. Adjourned 8:45 pm Respectfully submitted, Carol Kriegler, Project Assistant 2 DRAFT Lake Elmo Park Commission Minutes of the Regular Meeting January 19, 2011 Chairman Ames called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Members Present: Marty Dobbs, John Ames, Judith Blackford, Rolf Larson, Pam Hartley STAFF PRESENT: Project Assistant Kriegler 1. Agenda Agenda was approved as amended (M/S, Larson/Dobbs 5-0) Item number 2 was removed as December minutes were not available and "Election of Officers" was added. 3. Election of Officers Pam Hartley and Rolf Larson were nominated to serve as chair person with both indicating that they would be willing to serve as "vice chair" in the event they were not elected chair. It was commented that both individuals were very competent and accomplished. With an anonymous vote, Pam was elected Chair, Rolf as Vice-chair and Marty as Secretary. Pam served as chair for the remainder of the meeting. 4. Review and discussion of MPCA grading and landscape plans for Lanfill — "Sunfish Lake Park West" and potential future recreational uses. Two sets of MPCA proposed Iandrill grading plans were presented and reviewed. The grading plans presented were those revised by the MPCA in response to Park Commission and staff comments expressed at a September 2010 meeting with representatives of the MPCA. Comments generated were as follows: PARKING/ ENTRY AREA Park Commissioners recognized the importance of avoiding conflict with Fire Department access. They do, however, want to utilize any existing parking areas so long as doing so does not impair the Fire Department. A conversation with the Chief to hear his concerns and limitations is encouraged. The area northwest of the pit and directly east of the Fire Station were both considered for potential parking areas, with the northwest area being preferred. In any case, it will be important that a direct and defined path from the parking area to the "natural area"of the park be provided. In addition, a direct and defined path from the pit to the "natural area" is also desired. LANDSCAPING The latest version of the grading plan does not include landscaping. While some members of the Commission previously expressed that they would prefer that the road frontage in the area of the turn-back area, not be screened with plantings, they do support extensive screening in all other areas. Landscaping in the remaining areas should be restored. They would prefer that landscaping done in frontage of the turn-back area be relatively low so that there is good visibility into the pit and so that the area appears inviting for recreational use. 1 In addition, it is suggested the landscape screening along Jamaca "turn the corner" and continue along the north side of landfill, providing effective screening for those viewing the site from the north and northwest, including park users. The extensive planning of natives is desired in the adjacent areas to the west and north of the pit area. The landscaping should be done in such a way that does not impair visibility into the site. It also might be desirable to remove fencing along the north side of the site or move it to the south, as currently the entry to the natural area of the park is very"tunnel-like" and unnatural. GRADING Members expressed that they were pleased with the "softening" of the grade on the west-side of the turn-back area, but requested that a comparable "softening" be carried through on the northwest diagonal slope. LANDFILL GRADE Review and discussion of the proposed grading plans centered on the area to be turned back to the City. The Commission did recognize the two different landfill profiles and was interested in the basis for each. For the most part, the Commissioners expressed that the lower the profile, the better. 5. Trail Guide Plan review and update Carol Kriegler provided a rebrief of the Demontreville Trail engineering report made to the Parks Commission in August of'09 including a copy of the PowerPoint presentation made at that time. In addition she reported that the current plan includes a 24'-wide roadway with two 11'-wide lanes an 1' width of gravel shoulder- resulting in 2' on one- side of the road. Some very preliminary budgets were also reported for the Village to High School base trail. The budget is based on the unit pricing in the City's Trail Guide Plan. Budget for the 10,000 lineal feet of trail is $425,000 (based on unit pricing of$225,000 per miles and might not adequately reflect land acquisition costs). It was also reported that staff and engineering are working on determining the best way to lay out the course. The Commission expressed the interest in completing this entire base trail in one phase as it is not desirable to construct the base trail in segments as they will not serve any useful purpose in segments. The Commission also reiterated their desire /willingness to depart from the Village / S.A.H.S. base trail configuration as outlined in the Trail Guide Plan in an effort to align the trail more closely to Hwy 5 where the trail would be more visible, more direct and more likely to be utilized. 6. Sign program planning for recently completed Demontreville and Sunfish Lake Park The Parks Commission discussed the need /opportunity to provide some regulatory signage at Sunfish Lake Park and Demontreville Wildlife Area given the availability of recently constructed information kiosks in these locations. Sign layout revisions based on comments received from the December meeting were presented and approved for production. Motion: Support of moving forward with regulatory signage for S.F.L.P. and Demontreville Wildlife Area (M/S, Dobbs/Ames, 5-0) 2 Adjourned 9:10 pm Respectfully submitted, Carol Kriegler, Project Assistant Parks Commission Date: 2/16/11 Item: 3 ITEM: Welcome to new Park Commission member Steve DeLapp SUBMITTED BY: Carol Kriegler, Project Assistant BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Steve DeLapp was appointed to the Park Commission at the January 25 City Council meeting. In addition, the Park Commission was changed from an 11 to 9 member commission. An overview of commission member terms and designations will be available. Following introductions, it is requested that we provide a brief overview of current projects and issues. Parks Commission Date: 2/16/11 Item: 4 ITEM: Update on Stillwater Area School District Proposal for ECFC in Lake Elmo SUBMITTED BY: Carol Kriegler, Project Assistant BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The City Council has been in conversation with the Stillwater Area School District regarding a proposal to locate a Early Childhood Family Center in Lake Elmo. The Council will be discussing the item further at a Council Workshop scheduled for 4:30 Tuesday, February 15. There is also an informational Open House with an opportunity for public input scheduled for 5:30 to 6:30 Wednesday, February 16 and a special Council meeting scheduled for 4:30 Thursday, February 17. Conversations regarding a Lake Elmo based ECFC have included the possible inclusion of a park, trails, and /or art center. A brief overview of the proposal will be made available to the Park Commission. Parks Commission Date: 2/16/11 Item: 5 ITEM: Update and review of MPCA grading and landscape plans for Landfill— "Sunfish Lake Park West" and discussion related to potential future recreation uses SUBMITTED BY: Carol Kriegler, Project Assistant BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Commission conducted a review of two sets of MPCA's proposed landfill grading plans at their January 19 Park Commission meeting. The grading plans that were reviewed were plans that had been revised by the MPCA in response to Park Commission and staff comments expressed at a September 2010 meeting. Comments generated at the January 19 were promptly outlined and forwarded to the Assistant Engineer who in turn has been in conversation with the MPCA. An update regarding the latest MPCA landfill grading and landscaping plans will be made available. Landfill Grading Plan Review Park Commission Comments 1-19-2011 PARKING / ENTRY AREA Park Commissioners recognized the importance of avoiding conflict with Fire Department access. They do, however, want to utilize any existing parking areas so long as doing so does not impair the Fire Department. A conversation with the Chief to hear his concerns and limitations is encouraged. The area northwest of the pit and directly east of the Fire Station were both considered for potential parking areas, with the northwest area being preferred. In any case, it will be important that a direct and defined path from the parking area to the "natural area"of the park be provided. In addition, a direct and defined path from the pit to the "natural area" is also desired. LANDSCAPING The latest version of the grading plan does not include landscaping. While some members of the Commission previously expressed that they would prefer that the road frontage in the area of the turn-back area, not be screened with plantings, they do support extensive screening in all other areas. Landscaping in the remaining areas should be restored. They would prefer that landscaping done in frontage of the turn-back area be relatively low so that there is good visibility into the pit and so that the area appears inviting for recreational use. In addition, it is suggested the landscape screening along Jamaca "turn the corner" and continue along the north side of landfill, providing effective screening for those viewing the site from the north and northwest, including park users. The extensive planning of natives is desired in the adjacent areas to the west and north of the pit area. The landscaping should be done in such a way that does not impair visibility into the site. It also might be desirable to remove fencing along the north side of the site or move it to the south, as currently the entry to the natural area of the park is very"tunnel-like" and unnatural. GRADING Members expressed that they were pleased with the"softening" of the grade on the west-side of the turn-back area, but requested that a comparable "softening" be carried through on the northwest diagonal slope. LANDFILL GRADE Review and discussion of the proposed grading plans centered on the area to be turned back to the City. The Commission did recognize the two different landfill profiles and was interested in the basis for each. For the most part, the Commissioners expressed that the lower the profile, the better. Parks Commission Date: 2/16/11 Item: 6 ITEM: Update on planning and funding of Village/Stillwater High School base trail SUBMITTED BY: Carol Kriegler, Project Assistant BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Park Commission's recent annual work plans have identified trail development as a very high priority. To date, the Commission has prioritized base trails as defined by the City's Trail Guide Plan and identified the Village/Stillwater High School base trail as their highest priority. An overview of the Village/ HS base trail as defined in the Trail Guide Plan will be made available along with an outline of potential ROW/ land acquisition issues to be addressed should the base trail take on a more visible and direct configuration adjacent to Hwy 5. City Staff has completed the task of determining the property owners along this stretch of Hwy. 5. In addition, staff will report on potential grant funding opportunities for development of this particular base trail. It is also suggested that the Commission review the fund balance in the Park Dedication Fund, likely rates of growth of the fund, as well as the financial resources that will be required for future park and trail improvements as outlined in the City's Comprehensive Park Plan and Trail Guide Plan. Parks Commission Date: 2/16/11 Item: 7 ITEM: Discussion amending the Park CIP to include lighting improvements and possible volleyball court improvements at Lions Park SUBMITTED BY: Carol Kriegler, Project Assistant BACKGROUND INFORMATION: As a part of the CIP planning process, there was considerable discussion about the possible need for replacement lights at Lions Park. There was little information and detail for the Commission to consider regarding the current status of lighting at the park and few details related to age, condition, and the record of repair of the existing lights. Additionally, Commission member Zeno expressed that it might be appropriate to consider lighting of the volleyball court at the time of any future lighting improvement project at the park. At the December meeting, the Parks Commission requested that they take up consideration lighting improvements and other repairs/improvements to the volleyball court. A report will be made available regarding the general condition of the volleyball court and the potential for general improvements. In addition to considering the potential costs of lighting of the volleyball court, it is suggested that commission also consider the broader implications of lighting the court in regards to promoting group use of the park during the overnight. Carol Kriegler will provide an overview of the overall condition of the ballfield lights and volleyball court so that the Commission is prepared to consider amending the Park CIP to include lighting improvements at the park as well as other repairs/improvements to the volleyball court. Parks Commission Date: 2-16-11 Item: 8 ITEM: Review of 2010 work plan/development of 2011 work plan SUBMITTED BY: Carol Kriegler, Project Assistant The Commission is being asked to review the 2010 work plan and develop a 2011 work plan. 2010 Park Commission Work Plan Work Item Priority (1 as highest, 4 as lowest) Sunfish Lake Park Area 2 concept plan, 1 implementation plan, and implementation Trail Plan Implementation 1 • Trail segment inventory • Segment prioritization • Identify funding sources • Resolve R.O.W. issues Natural resource management—Pebble 1 park woodland restoration, Sunfish Lake Park natural resource management plan Spring and Fall Park Visits 2 Implement City park sign program • Entrance sign 1 • Informational signs 2 Maintain an awareness of/and review 2 infrastructure improvements /P.W. projects for potential park impacts. Develop Heights Park concept plan 2 • Implement Picnic shelter construction 2 Demontreville Review policy on the use of city athletic 4 fields and develop/update a park amenity matix 2011 —2014 Parks CIP 4