HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-02-17 Parks Commission MinutesCity of Lake Elmo Parks Commission Minutes
February 17, 2021
Members Present: Commissioners- Weeks, Schumacher, Hoelscher, Kastler, and Rivera
Ames attended at 6:50 PM. Staff Present: City Planner- Prchal, Public Works Director- Powers The meeting was called to order by Weeks at 6:30 PM. Select Chair and Vice Chair Schumacher motioned to nominate Weeks as Parks Commission Chair for 2021, Kastler provided a second. Unanimously passed 4-0 with Weeks abstaining. Weeks motioned to nominate Schumacher as Parks Commission Vice Chair for 2021, Rivera seconded. Unanimously passed 4-0 with Schumacher abstaining. Approval of Agenda Agenda was unanimously approved as presented 5-0. Approval of Minutes Weeks motioned to approve the December 21, 2020 Parks Commission Minutes as presented, Schumacher provided a second. Unanimously passed 5-0. January 2021 Meeting was cancelled.
Public Comments None Select two members for Capital Improvement Committee. Prchal provided a power point presentation describing what the Capital Improvement Committee
duties are and background information. (Ames joined the meeting.)
Ames motioned to nominate Hoelscher and Schumacher for the Capital Improvement Committee; Rivera seconded. No discussion; motion unanimously passed by voice vote 6-0. Bee Keeping in Sunfish Lake Park Prchal provided a presentation on the background, location, and ordinance. Staff recommends a license agreement. Mr. Liedel, the applicant, provided a power point and presented his request. “Bees are very
important and our main proposal is to start an education program on pollination. You need observation bees/hives to support this program. (Mr. Liedel provided some educational details on bees and honey.) The electric fence is needed because of bears. Once a bear locates a hive it is destroyed. The fence will be off during park hours. Thank you for your consideration.”
The commission discussed bear reports, if the electric fence is needed, license vs. lease agreements, and liability to the City. Public Comment: Tony Manzara – First I would like to thank Paul for his presentation. I think this would be a great
thing we can do. Second I would like to respond to John’s questions about liability. The
Friends of Lake Elmo Sunfish Lake Park have liability insurance. The City of Lake Elmo
is a named insured on that policy according to the lease agreement. If someone got hurt by the fence or bees, the City is covered by the policy. Rivera motioned to approve the bee keeping request at Sunfish Lake Park as presented – two (2) production colonies, with up to five (5) nucleus colonies, and an electric fence that will be operational during closed park hours; Ames provided a second. (Discussion focused on the need for conditions and clarification on what a colony/hive is defined as.) Kastler friendly amended the motion to include a list of conditions with the proposed request - 1) limit the hives to two (2) production colonies and (5) nucleus colonies, 2) requirement of a timer on the electric fencing to be operational in such a way that the fence is only on when the park is closed, 3) appropriate signage that addresses any safety concern, including signage indicating hives and electric fencing are present, and 4) the area and hives be maintained. Ames provided a second. The friendly amendment unanimously passed 6-0. Motion passed unanimously as amended by voice vote 6-0. Park Name St. Croix Sanctuary Prchal provided the commission with several potential park names gathered from a survey. From there, the commission narrowed down the list of park names to present to City Council. Rivera motioned to recommend Hidden Knoll Park or Lily Park as the two selected park names to present to City Council, Hoelscher provided a second; no discussion. Motion unanimously passed 6-0. Park Improvement Inventory Prchal provided a presentation on the City’s twenty-four (24) parks, focusing on the parks with amenities. Schumacher suggested encouraging a community survey when thinking about replacing any amenity to see what would benefit the surrounding community. Prchal mentioned that a CIP is a five (5) year plan and would like to see a focus on parks that need more attention. The commission agreed that the primary focus moving forward is
trail connectivity, Demontreville Park, and Pebble Park. Communications a) Pocket prairie at Lion’s Park: 5x10 area. Powers suggested placing it in the NW corner,
not far from the sign.
b) Sunfish Park winter use concern - complaint about walkers using the ski trails. The
Public Works Department grooms it after every snowfall and it compacts the snow.
Hoelscher was out there last Sunday and he didn’t see any issues. There were a lot of
people and everyone was respectful about where they were. Commission agreed to leave
the trails as is.
c) Term Schedule (FYI)
Meeting adjourned at 8:29 PM Respectfully Submitted, Rebecca McGuire, Deputy Clerk