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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.21.19 Parks Commission Full Packet NOTICE OF MEETING City of Lake Elmo Parks Commission 3800 Laverne Avenue North October 21, 2019 6:30 PM AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Approve Agenda 4. Approve Minutes a) August 19, 2019 5. Naming Savona Park 6. Development of Inwood Park 7. November 18, 2019 Meeting Agenda 8. Communications 9. Adjourn ***Note: Every effort will be made to accommodate person or persons that need special considerations to attend this meeting due to a health condition or disability. Please contact the Lake Elmo City Clerk if you are in need of special accommodations . Our Mission is to Provide Quality Public Services in a Fiscally Responsible Manner While Preserving the City’s Open Space Character Dr a f t MINUTES City of Lake Elmo Parks Commission August 19, 2019 Members Present: Commissioners- Mayek, Olinger, Schumacher, and Weeks Absent: Ames, Nightingale, and Zeno Staff Present: City Planner- Prchal, Public Works Director- Powers The meeting was called to order by Weeks at 6:30 PM. Announcements No announcements Approval of Agenda Olinger motioned to approve the agenda. Seconded by Mayek Motion passed unanimously. Approval of Minutes a) July 15, 2019 Weeks motioned to approve the July minutes. Seconded by Mayek. Motion passed unanimously. Public Comments Susan Dunn, 11018 Upper 33rd Street North. She started by saying that the National Night Out was really nice and organized very well at Lion’s Park. But she would like future consideration for more shelter at Lion’s Park because there is not a lot of shelter from the sun. Then she expressed her passion for Sunfish Lake Park and how the beauty and history needs to be preserved. She stated the proposed bike trails is against the plans in the 2030 Comp Plan. There was a survey done in 2013 that found the use of Sunfish Lake Park changing and she said that should not be happening. She said this change started in 2013 and has slowly been evolving to today, where no biking signs have been removed from the park and new trails for bikes have been added. The survey listed future priorities that included ski trails, hiking trails, picnic benches, restrooms, and a dog park. No bike trails were included. Then in January of 2019 the Parks Commission were presented with two proposed bike trails with no discussion until May. Mrs. Dunn is asking the Commission to review their past decisions and reconsider not allowing these bike trails in Sunfish Lake Park because they are going against the 2030 Comp Plan. Ann Bucheck, 2301 Legion Avenue North. She read parts of the 2030 Comp Plan to the Commission relating to Sunfish Lake Park. Reading that the Comp Plan states that bikes are prohibited from Sunfish Lake Park. Then she noticed in May 2019 the no biking signs had been taken down. She is asking that the Commission to have the signs put back up Dr a f t in the park. She is unsure of who took the signs down and why, but she would like them put back up by the proper authority. Buck Thorn Removal Grant for Sunfish Lake Park Powers explained the background on this proposed grant. In May, George Johnson was working with Stantec to write a grant, but they withdrew their offer because the City could not guarantee them the service. Now, Mr. Johnson is looking at submitting a proposal for another grant. George Johnson, 3070 Lake Elmo Avenue. He is very passionate about removing buckthorn and that is why he wrote the grant himself. He said that State gave him a high approval chance for this grant, because there are not many similar ones written. He stated they can get up to $450,000 for the buckthorn removal through this grant because they are a first time applicant. But he kept his request at $150,000 and said that there is not really any work that the City would have to do for this project. He said once they get the grant the bidder will do the removal, moving, and controlled burns of the buckthorn. They will bid it out to whoever wants to do this. This is going to be a three year process with many stages. His first request is that the Commission asks for an additional $10,000 in their budget for next year and another $10,000 the following year. He explained how it will work, they will get $140,000 from the State and the City will commit $10,000, and the Friends of Sunfish Lake Park with commit volunteer hours equal to 250 hours which equals another $5,000. He also invited the Commission to participate in buckthorn day which will be on October 26, 2019. They spend the day cutting down buckthorn. Schumacher asked Mr. Johnson if he has a comprehensive plan in terms of the controlled burns. Mr. Johnson said yes he does he has done a lot of research on how to burn the seeds to prevent the buckthorn from coming back. Schumacher was also concerned with the removal of large deadfall trees. Mr. Johnson said that instead of leaving them to decompose they want to cut them down, so that they can perform controlled burns without wood in the area. Weeks asked if something were to happen that prevented Mr. Johnson from carrying out this project, is there someone else that would carry out this grant and get this project done. Mr. Johnson said that the friends of Sunfish Lake support this project and they have a large group that is capable of carrying out this project. Weeks asked if Becky Tenpas would be in charge of the grant funds if a contractor were to come into to perform the work. Mr. Johnson said no, the grant goes to the City and they would pay the contractor. Becky would be in charge of the paperwork, scheduling, and recruitment of volunteers. Weeks also asked what Mr. Johnson believes the chances for success are for this program. Asking about long term, in a decade will all the buckthorn be back. Mr. Johnson said you do not totally rid an area of buckthorn, but the idea is to get it back to a natural forest by mitigating the buckthorn and then perform basic upkeep in the future. Schumacher compared buckthorn to a lawn, no matter how much fertilizer you use, there will always be a few dandelions. Olinger asked if there are other companies like Stantec that specialize in this. Mr. Johnson said they have found four other companies that would be a good fit. Dr a f t Prchal asked when the grant is due. Mr. Johnson said the timeline for the grant is hopefully approval at this meeting, then approval at City Council, and then the proposal is due on September 26th to the DNR. Weeks motioned to recommend to the City Council to submit the Grant Application for the Sunfish Lake Park Buckthorn Removal Project. Seconded by Mayek. Schumacher pointed out that the plan is for 35 acres, but he asked what about the bigger plan. Mr. Johnson believes they could get the whole park done for the total of $450,000. Weeks asked Olinger if she sees any issues with this project since her husband and brother volunteered a lot of time in the past to buckthorn removal at Sunfish Lake Park. She does not see any issues and is favor of this grant proposal. Motioned passed unanimously. Wildflower-Village Preserve Park Name Prchal presented on some proposed names for the Commission to look at. He highlighted the policies for selecting a name and then gave some examples of what the City would like to see. In the packet there are some proposed names provided with some names that have historical contributions to the City. These names came from the public who were interested in submitting names. Weeks brought up the name Moscrip who was the original Dairy Farmer in Lake Elmo and he believes that he is an important person to include. Prchal is hoping the Commission can decide on one name, if not picking three and bringing them to council would be good as well. Prchal categorized the names in his report and there were a lot of “animal” names. Olinger said that if they end up going with a person, she would like a plaque included with some background. The Commission discussed about if they want to get it down to three or one name. They decided they would go around and each say their top names to narrow the choices. Olinger- Wild Preserve, Dragonfly, Settlers, and Flower Slope; Mayek-Firefly; Weeks- Firefly, Dragonfly, Prairie Pond, and any historical names; Schumacher- Dragonfly and Rosalie Wahl. The Commission decided to send three proposed names to the City Council ranked as 1st-3rd choices: Firefly Park, Moscrip Park, and Rosalie Wahl Park. Weeks motioned to recommend a list of three park names to the City Council, the park names to be recommended are: Firefly Park, Moscrip Park, and Rosalie Wahl Park. Seconded by Olinger. Motion passed unanimously. September 16, 2019 Meeting Agenda No Items at this time. Communications Prchal said that Savona needs to be named next. Then the City will look into park signs to get a better deal for ordering more than one. Dr a f t Prchal said the soccer net that they put at Easton Village was supposed to be at Reid Park, so they moved in to Reid Park. They have another one ready to go to Easton Village, they just need to assemble it and then they will put it out there. Powers said the Pebble Park lighting improvements are scheduled for the middle of September. Weeks said he has had a resident asking about security cameras at Pebble Park. He asked Powers if that is possible and how expensive that would be. Power said they are looking into cheap trail cameras. Powers also said the mower they are using for Sunfish Trail broke down, so if some of the trails are not mowed that is why. They are going to take a lawn mower out to do their best to get some of the trails cut. Olinger said more people are contacting her about the pickle ball courts. Someone would like a divider between the courts so they are not crossing into the other court. Another resident wanted to know if there was a possibility of pick ball courts at Pebble Park. Powers said it could be done by putting in a new net at a different height and painting new lines, and if that wanted to be pursued it could be done. Weeks said he has been asked the same thing by residents for Inwood Park, which will be discussed next year. Weeks complimented Prchal on his packets recently because they have been very thorough and comprehensive. He also complimented Powers and Public Works on the success for National Night Out. Meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Alex Saxe, Deputy Clerk STAFF REPORT DATE: October 21st, 2019 ITEM #: TO: Parks Commission FROM: Ben Prchal, City Planner AGENDA ITEM: Naming of Park in Savona BACKGROUND: There is close to a 2 acre park in the middle of the Savona Development. Until now the park has been referred to as the Savona Park. Due to the recently adopted Park Naming Policy parks are no longer allowed to be directly named after a development that they are located in. Similar to the way Firefly Park was named, the City posted a poll and notification on the City website requesting suggestions for a park name. There were many name suggestions that came forward and Staff has done their best to organize the suggested names to assist with the selection process. ISSUE BEFORE CITY COUNCIL: Which name(s) would the Park Commission like to recommend to the City Council for the park in Savona? ANALYSIS: The City received many suggestions for the park and Staff has done their best to group them into three different categories Miscellaneous, Native America, and People. Staff has provided an explanation for some of the suggestions, if it was believed to provide extra value for the Commission. People Shiltgen: The Schiltgen farm is very well known in Lake Elmo and is tough to miss due to the barn that sits next to Stillwater Boulevard. The Schiltgens purchased the farm from the Moscrip family and continued to use it as a horse and cattle farm. Native American Anishinaabe Park: This is a Native American term which stems from many Canadian and American tribes. The term means person, Native Person, or Indigenous People. Based off some research the word can have different spellings and slightly different meanings due to the fact that there were different dialects between the tribes. Mitigomin Park: Staff was able to find this term to mean acorn. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staffs opinion is that no one name stood out more than the others. For assistance Staff has included the list that was provided during the Firefly Park naming process. If one name cannot be chosen, up to three name suggestions would be appropriate to bring to City Council. ATTACHMENTS: o Park Naming Policy o Shiltgen Write Up o Additional Name List Miscellaneous Native American People Daisy Park Anishinaabe Park Shiltgen Park Penguin Park Mitigomin Park Reflection Park Rolling Hills Park City of Lake Elmo Policy and Procedure for Naming City Parks, Trails, Recreational Areas, and Facilities Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to establish a standard procedure for the naming and renaming of parks, trails, recreational areas and facilities owned and/or operated by the City of Lake Elmo. This policy will guide name recognition and establish a uniform process. The Parks Commission shall be responsible for providing a recommended name to the City Council. The City Council will have the final say for the approved name. Objectives: • To name City parks, trails, recreational areas and facilities with the intent of enhancing the community by provoking a sense of place. • Ensure that parks and recreational areas are easily identified and located with names that are consistent with the values and characteristics of the City of Lake Elmo. • Assure the quality of the title/name, so that it will serve the purpose of the City in a permanent manner. • Encourage public participation and input in order to fully represent the best interest of the community. Criteria for Submitting a Name: When a proposed name is presented for review, City Staff will first vet the name against the criteria listed below. If a name does not fall into one of the categories listed below or is deemed to be derogatory or offensive in nature, the consideration will be thrown out. It should also be known that the City will not consider names that are directly named after a specific neighborhood or subdivision. The Park name shall not: • Park Names shall not be duplicated. • The City will not name parks directly after a development. • For example, the park within Wildflower shall not be called Wildflower Park. However, rose park, fox glove park, etc. would be acceptable. Categories for potential park Names: • An outstanding feature of the area. (example: hill, river, vegetation) • Geographical location of the park such as a street name. • Naming after an individual (living or non-living) or organization. The City may require additional information to further enforce that the individual has significantly contributed to the improvement of the Lake Elmo Parks system. • A person (living or non-living) or group who significantly contributed to the acquisition or development of park/facilities, who provided an exceptional service in the interest of the park system, or for the community as a whole. When naming after a person or persons, written documentation of approval by next of kin is required (if available/possible) as part of the proposal. • A standard for significant contribution shall consist of providing at least 50% of the cost to develop or acquire the land. • The City understands there are other categories that a name could be pulled from and would not exclude its consideration. Procedure: The City has created a process that will provide consistency for naming or re-naming City Parks. In general a submission will come in, go through staff review and approval, undergo a Parks Commission review, and end with final approval or denial from the City Council. The City would like to encourage residents to stay interested and voice their opinions during the meetings when the name is being considered. Step 1) At the time that the City is ready to name or rename a park, notification will be put in the Fresh, City Facebook, and or use other measures as appropriate. The City will seek name suggestions from the City Council or Commissions, City residents, Community leaders or organizations interested in proposing a name for a park, trail, recreational area or facility. The applicant should either request a Naming Policy form from the City Clerk or download the form from the City Website on the Parks page. After the form has been filled out it will need to be submitted to the City Planner to review against the criteria. Once the timeframe for receiving names has closed, Staff will begin the review process. Step 2) Staff will notify the applicant if the proposed name has or has not met the requirements. After a proposed name has been approved by Staff, the applicant will be informed when the name is going to be discussed by the Parks Commission. After the Commission discussion, the recommendation(s) will move onto the City Council for final approval or denial. Step 3) Once the City Council votes to approve a name, the name of the park shall be confirmed by passing a resolution. Renaming: The intent of naming is for permanent recognition, the renaming of parks and facilities is discouraged. Though, the City understands that renaming a park, trail, or facility may be necessary to create more cohesiveness throughout the City. It is recommended that efforts to change a name become subject to crucial examination so as not to diminish the original justification for the name or discount the value of the prior contributors. Renaming a park will follow the same procedure stated above. Washington County Historical Society Lake Elmo Main Street in 1906. Indexes Lake Elmo was part of Oakdale Township until 1951 when the township separated into Oakdale and East Oakdale. In 1925 the small commercial district incorporated as a village and in 1972 the village and East Oakdale Township joined to become the City of Lake Elmo. First to settle in the area in 1848 were Virginians Bernard B. “Bun” Cyphers and his wife Maria, who built a hotel, tavern, and stage stop, known as the Lake House, south of Sunfish Lake on the first road to be surveyed through the township. By 1850 the Stillwater Road, corresponding more to less to Highway 5, had been constructed. It was used for many years by the Willoughby & Powers stage coaches taking passengers between St. Paul and Stillwater. In 1876 a post office was established at Bass Lake Station, now known as Lake Elmo village. The Lake House became the town meeting site in the 1860s, and was also used as the District 12 school. Bass Lake, the original name of the lake, was noted for its fresh water and good fishing. Both lake and village were renamed Lake Elmo in 1879 by railroad promoter and St. Paul businessman, Alpheus B. Stickney, as being more euphonious. Lake Elmo became a popular summer resort. There were many livery stables in St. Paul and Stillwater and a large part of their business was taking people out to Lake Elmo. In 1872 the St. Paul, Stillwater & Taylor’s Falls Railroad (later the Omaha Road) passed through Lake Elmo, making it easy for tourists from St. Paul to reach the lake. A. B. Stickney was presumably acting for the railroad when he purchased the land between the railroad tracks and the lake. There he built an “elegant and spacious” 58-room lake hotel. Probably Stickney’s influence caused the county fair grounds to be built on land he owned at Lake Elmo in 1875. In 1876 at the fair, baseball was the game and there were matches every day. Unfortunately in 1877, a tornado hit the fairgrounds and the fair was moved to Stillwater. Lake Elmo enjoyed a decade of solid success with its well-publicized resort hotel, but attempts to build a cottage community around the lake generally did not succeed. The most ambitious was the Elmo Residence Park, platted in 1884 around the eastern side of the lake. Several cottages, a bandstand, and clubhouse were completed. By the early 1890s streetcar companies were extending their lines to lakes close to the cities. Unfortunately for Lake Elmo, the streetcar line to Stillwater was run through Mahtomedi, which became the new pleasure grounds. Lake Elmo, which had to depend upon railroads and stage coaches, lost popularity as a resort. In the early days, the Lake Elmo commercial center, which grew up around the railroad station, boasted a store, saloon, a “flat” grain house where farmers could unload wagons directly onto the trains, a blacksmith, and a wagon repair shop. In 1888 the Iowa Land Company bought Stickney’s property and the adjoining Lohmann farm, platted the area and laid it out into lots. By the 1920s the Stillwater Road had been paved and the village was established as a substantial shipping point and dairy center that boasted a creamery, grain elevator, two grocery stores, hardware and implement stores, a private hospital, a bank, a garage, and even a roller skating rink. The downtown area was platted as Lake Elmo Village in 1925, the year a second creamery, the Twin City Milk Company plant, was built. Many of the early farmers were Germans, and there were several Irish families, but there were few of the Yankees so prevalent on the St. Croix River. Several farmers specialized in Jersey and Holstein cattle and Yorkshire swine. Among these was William Moscrip, who developed a modern dairy facility now known as North Star Farms east of Sunfish Lake, which he sold in 1948 to Leo Shiltgen. Lake Elmo gradually lost its importance as an agricultural center, but began to see residential growth as suburban development moved eastward from St. Paul. One of the most ambitious projects of the 1960s was Cimarron, a planned community of manufactured homes next to a golf course south of the village. The construction of Lake Elmo Airport (actually in Baytown) in 1952 kept the city on the map. Today much of the city is taken up by Lake Elmo Regional Park Reserve, on the western shore of Lake Elmo. In general, Lake Elmo has elected to remain rural, limiting the typical suburban development overtaking much of the rest of the county. Its population growth, from 5,900 to 7,900 in 2005, has been contained. However, Lake Elmo is planning for strong growth over the next two decades, including development of the Historic Old Village area. Miscellaneous Animals People Vegetation Creamery Park Butterfly Meadow Family Park Field Park North Park Butterfly Park Kids Time Park Flower Slope Park Play Slope Park Crooking Pond Park Rosalie Wahl Lavender Park Rainbow Park Dragonfly Meadow Park Settlers Park Prairie Pond Park Valley Brook Dragonfly Park Stickney Park Treetop Park Flower Park Frog Pond Park Cypher's Park Honey Bee Park Painted Turtle Park STAFF REPORT DATE: October 21st, 2019 ITEM #: TO: Parks Commission FROM: Ben Prchal, City Planner AGENDA ITEM: Development of Inwood Park REVIEWED BY: Ken Roberts, Planning Director BACKGROUND: Every year the City of Lake Elmo goes through a review of the entire parks system to determine where the City should make the next round of investments for the next 5 years. During the 2019 review, the Parks Commission as well as the City Council determined that it would be appropriate to develop the land allotted for park use in the Inwood development in 2020. Beyond Staff review there has been an active group of residents from the development who have presented their opinions regarding the park. The group, led by Mark Rubbert will be providing another presentation to help aide the Commission. ISSUE BEFORE COMMISSION: What amenities would the Parks Commission like to recommend for inclusion in the Inwood Park? ANALYSIS/FISCAL IMPACT: The entire park is 12.11 acres in size. However, Staff is expecting about 1.8 acres of the park will be useable for “active use amenities.” In the past there have been many ideas of the types of uses that this park should satisfy. At one point exercise equipment was discussed, picnic tables and a pavilion, and a pickle ball court(s) have all been on the table when it comes to this park. Some things Staff would like the Commission to keep in mind is the neighboring park to the East known as Stonegate. The park has a baseball field, playground, and parking. Since this park is relatively close the Commission may want to avoid duplicating certain amenities, such as the playground. At this time there is not a formal trail that leads into the park but perhaps this would be a good time to construct one. There are two locations that appear to be natural access points, which would be the north west corner through the trees and south west through an indentation in the berm. Regarding parking, there is not an existing lot for the park and on street parking near the park is available but it would be very limited. Installing some parallel parking may be an option but keep in mind that would chew into the budget. Parking does need to be considered because certain amenities would/could draw more than just the local residents. Because of the limited parking the City should do their best to compare demand against available parking. (See Park Layout attachment for a closer view) Fiscal Impact: At this time, $150,000 is reserved to bring amenities into the park. Using Lions Park as an example, those improvements consisted of removing the tennis courts, installation of a hockey rink, and accommodations for pickle ball courts. The budget for these improvements came to $125,000. Although a hockey rink is not proposed for the park I would imagine the installation of three pickle ball courts would come in at a similar price. Searching for estimated costs online, the City should expect an expense of $20,000 to $40,000 per court. The cost to construct a pavilion would also have a range in price depending on size and details. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend the installment of pickle ball courts, a pavilion, and seating in the Inwood Park. OPTIONS: 1) Recommend a list of amenities. 2) Recommend that the land should not be developed at this time. ATTACHMENTS:  Proposals o CIP – Allocation of funds. o Stonegate Park amenity list. o Inwood Resident Presentation. o Inwood Park Layout. Capital Improvement Plan - 2019 - 2023 City of Lake Elmo, Minnesota Contact City Administrator 2019 2023thru Department Parks and Recreation Description New park to be developed in the Wildflower/Village Preserve area in 2019 and in Inwood in 2020 Project #PR-018 Priority 4 Less Important Justification Areas identified during development as a park search area to provide recreational opportunities to new residents. Budget Impact/Other Useful Life 40 years Project Name New Park Development Category Park Improvements Type Improvement Total Project Cost:$255,000 Status Active Total20192020202120222023Expenditures 255,000105,000 150,000Construction/Maintenance 105,000 150,000 255,000Total Total20192020202120222023Funding Sources 255,000105,000 150,000Park Dedication Fund 105,000 150,000 255,000Total Thursday, December 6, 2018Produced Using the Plan-It Capital Planning Software 39 Comprehensive Parks & Recreation Plan Part 2-17 March 2008 Stonegate Park Stonegate Park is a neighborhood park located in southwestern Lake Elmo. Classification: Neighborhood Park Location: 750 Jasmine Size: 5 acres Natural Features Passive Uses Active Uses Other Facilities picnicking playground football/soccer field softball field off-street parking grill Public Park at Inwood on 5th Purpose •Representation from Inwood HOA to Provide Input on the Design and Development of Inwood Park Actions To-Date •Input Provided at Lake Elmo Parks Commission Meetings - Oct 2017 / Apr 2018 / Oct 2018 •Design Concepts Presented •Options Include: •Picnic Shelter •Parking •Tennis / Pickleball •Community Garden •Open Athletic Fields •and more…. Next Steps •Form Inwood HOA ‘Park Team’ (3-5 individuals) •Refine Inwood HOA Input and Ideas for the Park •Attend May 20 Parks Commission Meeting Contact •Mark Rubbert 612 | 387 | 8189 Was hingto n C ounty, MN October 17, 2019 0 130 26065 ft 0 30 6015 m 1:1,000 Disclaimer: Map and parcel data are believed to be ac curate, but acc uracy is not guaranteed. This is not a legal document and should not be substituted for a title s earch,appraisal, survey, or for zoning verification.