HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-20-10 Commission minutes FINALFINAL
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.
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.
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
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
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