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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-14-26 Parks Commission Meeting PacketParks Commission Meeting 3880 Laverne Avenue North Wednesday, January 14th, 2026 6:30 p.m. AGENDA Call To Order Pledge Of Allegiance Approve Agenda Approval Of Minutes December 2025 _ City Of Lake Elmo Parks Commission Minutes DECEMBER 2025 _ CITY OF LAKE ELMO PARKS COMMISSION MINUTES.PDF Election Of Officers CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR APPOINT.PDF Future Playground Replacement PLAYGROUND FUTURE REPLACEMENT.PDF Public Comment Communications/Updates Adjourn Our Mission is to Provide Quality Public Services in a Fiscally Responsible Manner in Partnership with our Community. 1. 2. 3. 4. a. Documents: 5. Documents: 6. Documents: 7. 8. 9. City of Lake Elmo Parks Commission Minutes 15 December 2025 Members Present: Chair Hank Hoelscher, Vice Chair Ellen Esch, Commissioners; Pat Barrett, Giovanni Bloyer, Peter Kastler, Tracy Petersen and Tammy Sturtz Absent: None Staff Present: Public Works Interim Director, Adam Swanepoel, Community Development Director, Jason Stopa The meeting was called to order by Hoelscher at 6:30PM. Barret moved to accept the agenda, Kastler seconded. Motion passed 7-0. Approval of October Meeting Minutes Change “council members” to “park commissioners”. Petersen seconded. Motion passed 7-0. Approval of November Meeting Minutes. Sturtz suggested including attachments. Barret moved to accept the minutes. Sturtz seconded. Motion passed 7-0. Public comment: Josh, 8100 Lake Jane trail, Sound barriers. Acoustic concerns on pickleball; suggest on 4 sides to avoid noise bouncing to someone’s house. Supportive of pickleball at sports complex, and sound barrier feels like a band-aid. Don’t want to cause more issues and spend more money on something that wouldn’t work 75-acre park and Boulevard Tree Program Jason Stopa, Community Development Director, gave background on the Sunfish Lake Park sports complex. Next step will include community planning and engagement and a financial analysis in 2026. Additional discussion between Park Commissioners. Amenities (not sports related), cost, timelines and the involvement of the Park Commissioners in decisions. Tree Program, the city $50,000 payment from Greater Stillwater Schools for tree mitigation. The purpose is to replace trees within the city right of ways. Process, eligibility and next steps were discussed. Pickleball Sound Barriers Public Works Interim Director, Adam Swanepoel, gave an update on pickleball concerns and possible options. Would parks commission like to recommend the sound barrier option at Pebble Park? New fencing is needed. Different material for noise control options discussed. Estimated overall cost $50-100,000 funded by Park Dedication Funds. Additional Discussion between Park Commissioners and all options. Public comment: Paul Bultman, Deer Pond Court. Compliance on 7pm ending for pickleball was poor. Lights off only gained the reduction on light pollution. Suggest that landscaping would be inadequate for sound mitigation. Suggest that 4 sides would be needed for sound barrier fence. Some neighbors against barriers, don’t think it would solve noise and it would block views of the park. Concern over not being able to see in person how barriers are effective, has researched that in many places people are unsatisfied. Concern over elevation and noise going up and impacting homes. Concern over the pulse of sounds, not the noise (decibel) amount. Concern over pickleball courts remaining in Pebble Park, and that parks master plan distance barrier was not yet in place. Would recommend that pickleball courts are migrated to planned sports complex. Hoelscher moved to defer agenda item until after February meeting with City Council and for staff to get more information for a future discussion. Barret seconded. Discussion. Motion passed 4-3. Barret, Sturtz, Kastler opposed. Communications a) Work plan review: 1.Washington County Greenway Trail, Caron will be attending the Feb 2026 Meeting. 2.Parking increase at Sunfish Lake Park 3.More parking options for Pebble Park 4.Klie’s playset replacement 5.Ried Parking lot expansion 6.Update and review of Park Reservations Policy 7.Outline Park options at new NorthStar Development Park 8.Lions Park Updates 9.Concept plan for Ridge Park 10.Maintenance and Refurbishing 11.Additional Park Initiatives 12.Finance b) Update on hiring public works director position – interviews in progress. c) Ice rink open, trail grooming is occurring, sledding hills are popular. d) Light up Lake Elmo was successful and may come to parks commission in future. d) Commissioner dinner was successful. **Please note the following upcoming dates in 2026: 1.Workshop: Tuesday 13 January, 6:30pm 2.Parks Commission Meeting: Wednesday 14 January, 6:30pm 3.Parks Commission Meeting: Wednesday 18 February, 6:30pm Petersen adjourned to end the meeting at 8:07 PM. Barrett seconded. Motion passed 7-0. Esch adjourned the meeting  Respectfully Submitted Angie Gruber - Administrative Assistant, PW/F  STAFF REPORT DATE:01/14/2025 MOTION TO: PARKS COMMISSION FROM: Interim Public Works Director – Adam Swanepoel AGENDA ITEM: Election of Officers CORE STRATEGIES: ☒ Vibrant, inclusive, connected community ☐ Efficient, reliable, innovative services ☒ Responsive, transparent, adaptive governance ☐ Balanced Finances now and future ☐ Managed Growth ☐ Resilient Infrastructure BACKGROUND: At the first regularly scheduled meeting of each calendar year, the Commission shall elect from among its appointed members a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson, each to serve a term of one (1) year. The Chairperson shall preside over all meetings of the Commission when present and shall perform such other duties and functions as may be assigned by the Commission or the Council. In the absence of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson shall assume and perform all duties and responsibilities of the Chairperson. Nominations for the offices of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson shall be made from the floor. The current Chairperson shall call the meeting to order and, following the roll call, shall open the floor for nominations. ISSUE BEFORE PARKS COMMISSION: Are there any nominations for chair and vice chair? RECOMMENDATION: “Motion to recommend “______” as Chair of the Parks Commission.” “Motion to recommend “_____” as Vice Chair of the Parks Commission.” STAFF REPORT DATE:01/14/2026 Discussion TO: Parks Commission FROM: Interim Public Works Director – Adam Swanepoel AGENDA ITEM: Future Playground Replacement CORE STRATEGIES: ☐ Vibrant, inclusive, connected community ☐ Efficient, reliable, innovative services ☒ Responsive, transparent, adaptive governance ☐ Balanced Finances now and future ☐ Managed Growth ☐ Resilient Infrastructure BACKGROUND: In September 2025, a workshop was held between City Council and the Parks Commission to review future amenities and playground replacements with the city parks. Within the past 5 years staff have reviewed the age of playgrounds and their condition and placed them with the CIP for replacement when they have reached the end of their useful life. This timeframe is about 25 years and is in line with recommendations from the Parks Master Plan and the National Parks and Recreation Association. This approach helps ensure playgrounds remain safe, accessible and enjoyable for all ages and users. City Council recommended, the Commission, upon review of playgrounds, discuss other options or different amenities in lieu of playgrounds to make city parks a destination site. Council suggested that the Commission focus on replacements in community parks, find other appropriate amenities for neighborhood parks, and consider distance between playgrounds when reviewing replacements. ISSUE BEFORE PARKS COMMISSION: How does the Parks Commission want to prioritize or review playground replacements going forward? PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: Park users value their park and recreational amenities, the city recognizes a need to keep their park system current, continue to meet the needs of the community, and continue to offer quality amenities to its residents. The parks master plan highlights playgrounds, ballfields and shelters that are currently not meeting the needs of the community or are not functioning to meet the current demands. The city park system has approximately 15 playgrounds, 5 of which are categorized as community parks. Lions, Reid, Stonegate and Tablyn Park are all community parks and slated for replacement within the next 8 years. Currently in the CIP, the following playgrounds are scheduled based on the 25-year replacement schedule. Lions Park--2026 Ridge Park--2026 Tablyn Park--2026 Stonegate Park--2027 Carriage Station--2028 Tana Ridge Park--2030 Hidden Knoll--2032 Reid Park--2033 When looking at playground replacements age, wear/tear, overall use, location and practicality help guide replacement decisions. What else can the community support in replacement of playgrounds that will relate to the community and help improve our public green space? Area and available space are key factors in evaluating parks for future amenity investments. Community surveys and civic engagement should be used to help identify priorities and assess demonstrated need for park amenities. As discussed during the workshop, the geographic distribution of playgrounds should be evaluated to ensure efficient and equitable access across the park system. Historically, most neighborhood parks included playgrounds; however, over time, increasing maintenance costs, declining reliability, and reduced usage may outweigh the benefits in certain locations. When planning for future playground installations or replacements, considerations such as proximity to other playgrounds, walkability, and overall accessibility should be incorporated into the decision-making process. FISCAL IMPACT: Currently the Parks Dedication Fund has a balance of $2.4 million. There is no current financial obligation at this time, the commission should take into consideration the annual cost of these items for future budgeting purposes.