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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-20-23 Full parks packet NOTICE OF MEETING City of Lake Elmo Parks Commission 3800 Laverne Avenue North March 20th 2023 AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Approve Agenda 4. Approve Minutes a) February 22, 2023 5. Public Comment 6. City Dog Park 7. Baseball Field Improvement Options 8. Communication 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 in Partnership with our Community. City of Lake Elmo Parks Commission Minutes February 22, 2023 Members Present: Commissioners Hoelscher, Kastler, Rivera-Reyes, Barrett, and Esch Absent: Commissioner Bloyer Staff Present: Assistant Public Works Director Swanepoel and City Planner Jensen The meeting was called to order by Kastler at 6:30 PM. Approval of Agenda Hoelscher motioned to approve the agenda as presented, Esch provided a second; no discussion. Unanimously approved 5-0. Approval of Minutes Barrett motioned to approve the January 18th, 2023 Parks Commission Minutes, Rivera-Reyes provided a second; Barrett provided a comment. Motion passed unanimously 5-0. Public Comments Chris Zupfer, executive director of the Hill-Murray Foundation, shared an opportunity with the commission to explore a partnership with Lake Elmo for turf baseball and softball fields. John Howley at 8190 Lake Jane Trl. N, next to Pebble Park, addressed some concerns regarding park amenities with the commission. Todd Bruchu at 3150 Klondike Ave, a representative of the non-profit Lake Elmo Baseball organization, thanked the commission and expressed immediate need for additional regulation field use. Kramer Lake City Planner Jensen presented the sketch plan and the commission reviewed the park land dedication requirement. Discussion held. Dan Willenbring with Tamarack Lake Development thanked staff for the great job on the presentation and agreed with staff’s recommendation, and answered commission questions. Hoelscher moved to proceed with the staff recommendation to recommend that the Park Dedication requirement for the Kramer Lake development be met with the acceptance of the set fee for the commercial component of the project, park credit for the proposed trail along Hudson Blvd not to exceed 25%, and the acceptance of cash in lieu of land for the residential component of the project, Rivera-Reye provided a second; discussion held. Yea: Hoelscher, Rivera-Reyes, Barrett, and Esch; Nay: Kastler. Motion passed 4-1. Donation Assistant Public Works Director Swanepoel summarized the donation request from Jeff Corajod and Kalli Shades. Swanepoel also referenced the donation policy for accepting gifts in regard to the expectation when the gifted item has reached its usable life or has been damaged. Discussion held. Barrett moved that we accept the gift from the Corajod and Shades family and consider, if possible, two benches and one tree placed at Tablyn Park, Kastler provided a second; discussion. Motion unanimously passed 5-0. Hoelscher motioned to approve the plaque and place it on the bench, Kastler provided a second for discussion; discussion held. Motion unanimously passed 5-0. Kastler motioned to reconsider the previous two motions for park donation, Esch provided a second, discussion. Motion unanimously passed 5-0. Barrett moved to recommend to the city council to approve the donation from Jeff Corajod and Kelly Shades to purchase a bench, a tree, and a placard not to exceed $1000, to be placed in Tablyn Park, Hoelscher provided a second; no discussion. Motion unanimously passed 5-0. ADA Park Compliance Assistant Public Works Director Swanepoel provided background. Discussion held. Rivera-Reyes moved to recommend to make all proposed ADA changes to Pilot, Ivywood, and Hammes Park to comply with ADA standard and satisfy the League of MN Cities recommendations to city council, Barrett provided a second; discussion held. All in favor, motion passed 5-0. Communications a) Hockey Rink update. b) Grooming trails update. c) Council approved a text amendment for the park dedication table for updated zoning districts. d) Schiltgen Farmstead update request. e) Recognition to John Ames for his decades of service on the Parks Commission. f) Thanking of extra agenda packets on hand. g) The old Park and Trail Plan was issued to the parks commission by a Commissioner’s request and he requested it be updated. h) Request of an agenda item for the next parks meeting regarding if council should analyze the parks commission funding model for sustainability. i) Pickleball court is up for review at the next City Council Meeting. They are going back out for bid. j) Question regarding what the procedure is for responding to public comments during the meeting. k) Question on how/when to add agenda items for the next meeting. Kastler adjourned the meeting at 8:08 PM Respectfully Submitted, Rebecca McGuire, Deputy Clerk STAFF REPORT DATE: 03/20/2023 MOTION TO: Parks Commission SUBMITTED BY: Adam Swanepoel, Assistant Public Works Director REVIEWED BY: Marty Powers, Public Works Director Kristina Handt, City Administrator AGENDA ITEM: Dog Park BACKGROUND: Over the years the City of Lake Elmo Parks Commission has discussed a placement of Dog Park with in the community. In June 2022, the parks commission recommended approval the 2023-2027 CIP which included $25,000 toward a dog park. The CIP was later approved by the City Council in December 2022. A dog park within the community was discussed in length at the January 2023 workshop held between City Council members and Parks Commissioners. Consensus during that workshop was to keep this item on the current work plan and secure a location for residents and users. As the City of Lake Elmo has grown over the years and so has the number of dog companions within the community. Current statistics indicate almost one in four people own a dog. Dog parks allow for pets to be off leash and not be hindered by moving cars and busy sidewalks. Studies show benefits of a dog parks include; community involvement, promote outdoor recreation, reduce troublesome behavior of dogs and makes owners happier and healthier. In 2014 the idea was presented to the Parks Commission to have a dog park placed near the Fire hall #2 location. This proposal lost interest during those years and was never revisited. ISSUE BEFORE COMMISSION: Would the Parks Commission like to recommend a dog park be placed in the NW section of Sunfish Lake Park (Fire hall #2 location) on Jamaca Ave.? PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS Currently residents travel to neighboring communities to utilize fenced in park areas for their pets. Throughout the city and neighboring communities, developers have elected to put in small dog parks but are restricted to residents of the development only. Surrounding community dog parks are located on average 9 miles away from city hall. Location/Name Miles from City Hall Oakdale Bark Park 5.9 Stillwater Dog Park 5 Woodbury – Andy Bark Park 10.8 Maplewood - Battle Creek Dog Park 10.7 White Bear Lake Dog Beach 12.7 Location/Size: When considering placement for a city dog park, commissioners should consider proximity to residential areas, user access, size and parking. Any new park normally has large interest upon opening Page 2 and is often rated and advertised online. According to the American Kennel Club, an ideal off-leash dog park should be at least 1 acre in size to allow for multiple dogs to play and socialize. A dog park should also have fence that is four- to six-feet in height, with a double gate entry to keep dogs from escaping, and from jumping over the fence. In addition, the fence should be buried deep enough so that toys will not go under, and so dogs cannot dig a hole out of the park. To help fund maintenance expenses, some dog parks charge users an annual permit fee or a per time user fee. These fees help defray the costs of maintenance of the park, including the additional attention needed for weekly maintenance. Currently the city does not have a dog license fee and only charges residents for impounded animals. Staff has identified the location at the NW side of Sunfish Lake Park compatible with the needs of a city dog park. This area, adjacent to Fire Hall #2 allows for easy access off an arterial road, to a current secured fenced in area and access to Sun Fish Lake Park. The fenced in area is approximately 10 acres and provides ample open space and walking areas. Parking can be separated from the fire hall area and could potentially be expanded in the future. FISCAL IMPACT: Much of the overall cost associated with a dog park is securing of the property. A four to six foot fence is recommended in a dog park. Current rates installing fencing are about $50/ft. To fence in an area of this size would cost over $130,000. Having the option to utilize this already fenced in space would be extremely beneficial. Other items that should be considered are benches inside the fenced area, signage for rules/parking, garbage receptacles, moving/repairing entrance gate and a new park entrance sign. Adding these items to the park would cost approximately $10-$12,000. Financially this would not meet the requirements of a CIP or Park Dedication Fund and would be a Public Works operating expense. Staff would need to plan for the requested amount to be placed into the Public Works operational budget to offset the cost of these upgrades in 2024 Public Works has the ability to make the necessary parking lot improvements using excess gravel from street improvement projects. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the following motion: “Move to recommend to the City Council a City Dog Park and the attached rules be implemented using the existing property at 4295 Jamaca Ave. N. once the fire department vacates station #2.” ATTACHMENTS: • Dog Park Rules • Area overview map Dog Park Rules 1. Dogs must be leashed before entering and when leaving the park. 2. Owners are legally and financially responsible for the actions of their dogs. 3. All dogs must be licensed and vaccinated. 4. No female dogs in heat or puppies under four months old are allowed. 5. Owners must clean up after their dogs using plastic bags and provided trash containers. 6. Dogs must be in sight and under verbal control at all times. No digging holes. 7. No aggressive dogs allowed. Aggressive dogs must be leashed and removed from the park immediately by their owners. 8. Children under 12 must be accompanied and supervised by an adult, and should be educated about safe behavior around dogs (no running, screaming, food, etc.). Proposed Dog Park Entrance Gate STAFF REPORT DATE: 03/20/2023 Motion TO: Parks Commission FROM: Adam Swanepoel, Assistant Public Works Director REVIEWED BY: Marty Powers, Director of Public Works Kristina Handt, City Administrator AGENDA ITEM: Baseball fields – Site Improvements BACKGROUND: At the October 2022 Parks Commission meeting, City Planner Ben Hetzel presented results from a community baseball POLCO survey. This 30 day online ballfield survey was designed as part of the analysis for the 2022 ballfield work plan. With money set aside from the Royal Golf Development, funds are to be used for the development of new ballfield or refurbishment of existing ballfields. Currently the city has two competitive ballfields (VFW, Lions) which serve the downtown area and eight recreational fields throughout the community. (Demontreville, Klies, Pebble, Reid, Ridge, Stonegate, Tablyn and Tana) There were 313 respondents to the 2022 Baseball survey. Summary of those results were: Would you like to see more ballfields at City parks? 88% - Yes Would you like to see more recreational or competitive ballfields? – 54% - Competitive Would you like to see existing recreational ballfields upgraded to competitive ballfields? 84% - Yes Would you prefer to see multiple ballfields in one location? 82% - Yes Lake Elmo Baseball Association is the most frequent user of the competitive fields. They also rent Reid Park for youth baseball ranging in ages of 9-13. Mahtomedi Youth Baseball, Oakdale Athletic Assoc., St. Croix Valley Athletic Assoc., Thrive Baseball and Midwest Power Softball are additional renters of the fields throughout the year. During the months of April through July: VFW, Lions, Reid, and Demontreville fields are rented out daily for youth baseball. The competitive fields continue to be rented out through September for both baseball and softball use. Ideally stakeholders have suggested placement of multiple fields in one location is ideal for practice, games and tournaments. Of the current parks only Pebble and Ridge Park could potentially hold multiple fields, but not exceeding more than two. History of updates to our current recreational fields have been limited to continued maintenance conducted by our Public Works department. In 2017, Lions Park was a completely renovated field. In 2018 members reviewed the possibility of updating the Demontreville baseball field with input from the Mahtomedi Baseball Association. As the most frequent user of the filed, they recommended moving the field and requested additional parking. The Parks Commission approved the bids for improvements to the field, however this was denied by City Council. Minutes from that meeting indicated Council wanted to see some level of buy-in from the community or users of the park. Neither Mahtomedi Baseball nor any other community group would contribute to the cost of the project. At the October 17, 2022 Parks Commission Meeting, commissioners unanimously approved a motion to direct city staff to explore upgrading existing recreational ballfields in City parks. ISSUE BEFORE COMMISSION: Page 2 What fields would the commission like to see updated? Would the commission like to conduct a proposal for design on any of the proposed fields? PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: The city has eight possible fields to consider updating to make usable by current stakeholders. What the Parks Commission should consider are additional resources available that help support a baseball field within the community and its placement. One of the major issues is space. Survey results show a majority of people would like to see multiple fields in one location. Based on the current park system only Pebble and Ridge would be able to fit more than one field at its location. Even the sites capable of having more than one field likely can only accommodate two smaller fields or a combination of a competitive and recreation ball field. Direct access to a city park off arterial roads without going through residential areas should be considered and preferred. Excavating Dirt work and excavating will be the most costly expense as staff begins looking at updating current fields. Some of the biggest issues staff currently has with fields is drainage and overall layout of the field. Direction and placement of field within the park should be considered to eliminate sitting water within the playing area. Ideally a field should face North East. This allows for field use throughout the day including spring, summer and fall without the sun becoming a factor to either the pitcher or batter. Currently fields at Tablyn and Reid face the NE direction. Staff has identified Reid and Stonegate fields needing minimal excavating to the area of the playing field. Parking Many of the city’s parks lack a large parking area for a multi-team event. The Parks Commission should consider having approximately 25-30 parking spaces for a single field and having a minimum of 40 parking stalls for a park with two fields. Currently fields at Klies, Stonegate and Tana limit users to residential street parking only. This becomes a concern with multiple teams or the regular use of the filed with users parking in residential areas. Parking at Demontreville and Reid currently have parking for about 28 cars. Ridge, Tablyn although not marked, currently has space for approximately 10 -15. Placement of parking areas to the field is a concern for many users. Parking too close to the playing area becomes an issue with foul balls striking cars; unintentionally moving parking back into the residential area. Parking too far away limits user’s ability to easily transfer player’s gear and supplies to and from the field. Water/Sewer/ Access to water and sewer should be considered as we potentially grow the value and usability of our park area. Water is ideal for field irrigation as well as use by regular park users. Water access will allow for continued care of the parks investment into a new field during its first few years of establishing grass areas. Water reuse from a nearby storm water pond can be very beneficial and save thousands of dollars a year on purchasing water. Upfront cost of a water reuse system range from $80-$120K which may be more costly in the beginning but ultimately little expense during operation. Having access to water at park location can also offer the potential to having restrooms or drinking fountain in the future. Currently Klies and Demontreville fields are the only fields that do not have direct access to city water. Options of drilling a well for water access is still available in both of these parks. Sanitary access is limited to many of the parks, currently Reid and Stonegate have sanitary sewer within proximity that may be accessible. If desired a drain field for sanitary could be an option if space allows. Electrical Lighting to a field is ideal for stakeholders to hold events and scheduling multiple games in the evening especially in the spring and fall when daylight hours become limited. Although lighting is a great amenity to a field, members should consider field placement to residential areas when lighting a field. Additional access to electricity can provide the potential to having a scoreboard, concession area and restrooms. Page 3 OPTIONS: Staff has reviewed the current inventory of fields and has made the following suggestions: Option 1: Reid Park: Staff has identified Reid Park as a field suitable for an update. Reid Park offers parking, access to city water, and located near the two other competitive fields in the city. Currently Reid Park has a flat outfield/infield and an age appropriate back stop. Staff would recommend adding additional fencing down first and third baseline, hood on the backstop and outfield fencing. In addition, extension of the infield to make it suitable for two separate age groups as well as dugouts and bleachers. Updating this field would result in a loss of open space. Soccer and Frisbee Clubs also reserve this space throughout the year, adding fencing would likely limit their ability to use this space. Option 2. Pebble Park: With a current recreation filed, staff has identified Pebble Park suitable for updates to include two recreational ball fields. Fields would have home places near each other, with fields facing opposite directions. Pebble offers a flat area in need of some light excavating to uplift the outfield for better drainage. It also offers access to electricity and city water for irrigation Pebble Park’s lower area is currently reserved by soccer clubs for practice. Adding a second field to the area may limit some of their open space during construction, however with no outfield fence planned, this area could potentially improve the soccer area as well. . Option 3: Ridge Park: With open space available in this park, staff has identified Ridge Park as a suitable area to consider improving the baseball field. Ridge Park offers an expandable area for parking, access to city water, with minor grading needed. Ridge Park has the room capable of holding two recreation fields or a combination of a recreation field and competitive ballfield. If planning for multiple fields, additional excavating and storm water runoff would need to be considered. This area would be a location staff would recommend for a synthetic turf field if a partnership was made with another contributing organization. Option 4: Stonegate Park: The ball field located in Stonegate Park has approximately three acres of open green space in the six acre park parcel. Stonegate Park has city water and sewer connection capabilities. This park is limited on parking, adding a parking lot in the South or West side of the park could assist with parking issues and provide additional parking for Ivywood Park. With some adjusting, this field could be turned and upgraded to a competitive field. FINANCIAL IMPACT: A large impact on improving our current baseball fields to updated recreation and competitive fields will be the cost construction and materials. Staff has obtained pricing from vendors to form an idea of costs related to baseball field upgrades. Bolton & Menk (engineering firm) provided staff with a, Preliminary Opinion of Cost document which was prepared for the city of Cottage Grove in the spring of 2022. Some of those costs related to baseball field improvements include: Engineering- $100,000 Designing- $30-$50,000 Excavating - $50,000-$100,000 per field Lighting - $170, 000 Fencing – 6’ – 60/Ft - Ages 9-11 (480 LF) - $30,000 - Ages 12-13 (980 LF) - $50,000 Backstop Fence: - 10x20x10- 12 Ft Tall - $11,000 (Recreation Field Backstop) - 30x20x30 – 20 Ft. Tall - $20,000 (Competitive Field Backstop) Dugouts - Concrete floor and wooden structure $40,000 Water Service – $80/Ft Storm Sewer - $80/Ft Page 4 Parking Lot - $7 -Sq. /FT (40 stalls $90,000) Bleachers - $7, 000 (4 Row 60 seats) Irrigation – Baseball Field $80,000 Turf/Seeding - $5,000 per Acre ($15,000 / field) Infield Clay - $2 - $4000 per field Synthetic Turf - $6/SF Pricing to update a field will vary depending on need and desire of the area field. For instance, lighting is an expensive option and is not recommended on recreational fields but should be considered if upgrading to a competitive size field. A storm water plan is also required when more than 6000 sq. feet of soil will be disturbed. Reviewing the possible locations, this would be required at most locations depending on the possible updates. Irrigation can also be an expensive option, however providing water to our investment is critical in the first few years in order to establish a firm and thick grass field. Cost estimates based off the following numbers would be: Option 1: Reid Park; Lighting, Backstop, Fencing, Dugouts, additional Parking, Bleachers and Irrigation, Infield clay and Seeding - $400,000 (1 competitive ballfield) Option 2: Pebble Park; Engineering, Excavating, Fencing, Backstop, Dugouts, Bleachers, Seeding, Infield Clay and water service - $250,000 (2- recreational ballfields) Option 3: Ridge Park; Engineering, Excavating, Backstop, Fencing, Dugouts, Water Service, Storm Water, Parking Lot, Bleachers, Irrigation, Seeding, Lighting - $880,000. (1 competitive ballfield and 1 Recreational Ballfield) (Adding synthetic turf could cost an additional $600,000) Option 4: Stonegate Park: Engineering, Excavating, Parking Lot, Backstop, Fencing, Dugouts, Water Service, Storm Water, Bleachers, Irrigation, Seeding and Lighting - $575,000. (1-Competitive Ballfield) At the February Parks Commission meeting a representative from Hill Murray Foundation presented a need for a combination (baseball/softball) field for its school athletes to use for school games and practices. They most commonly need field use during the spring for high school athletic sports. The foundation offered up to $500,000 in financial assistance for a synthetic turf field. A turf field although more expensive to build, ultimately has little maintenance going forward. This type of material creates a multi-use surface for other uses outside of baseball. This option saves on the installation of an irrigation system and the cost of water used to irrigate the field, mowing and fertilizing each and every season. The cost of a turf field will depend on the size of the field and the type of synthetic turf. All the same prep work needs to be done when making a grass field or synthetic turf field such as; excavation, 2’ sand subbase, drain tile, fabric, porous aggregate and fencing. Adding synthetic turf to a facility could cost an additional $600,000. Over time one should expect the replacement of synthetic turf. In high use situations, turf is normally replaced after 10-12 years of use. With continued care the lifespan can be extended, but it should still be part of a replacement plan. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the following motion: “Move to recommend to the City Council, authorizing a Request for Proposal for Design Services to be completed on Reid and Ridge Park for the improvements of the baseball fields.” ATTACHMENTS: Reid Park Map Ridge Park Map Proposed changes to Reid Park Baseball Field Proposed Changes to Ridge Park - Expand and improve parking lot - Add 1 competitive field and 1 recreational field - Lighting / Irrigation - Potential site for Synthetic Turf Field