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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-26-87 Agenda & Packet • K ‘11 • Voil ` _ , f 0 OI�f� S • rr RAMSEY COUNTY,MINNESOTA GATEWAY TO THE NORTH 2401 HIGHWAY 10 MOUNDS VIEW,MINN.55112 784-3055 February 19, 1987 Dear Commission Members: The agenda for this meeting has been kept shortso that our energies can be put into the review of several playground structure plans . Enclosed in the packet is information on the definition and functions of parks and the anatomy of park development . I thought that. this • information would assist you in decisions which must be made at this next meeting, Thursday, February 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers . [ hope to see you all there. This will be a "roll up your sleeves" work session. Sincerely, 70"/ it;4fri‘e,4 Miry Saarion, Director Parks , Recreation and Forestry MS/s-L Enclosures CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION THURSDAY , FEBRUARY , 1987 AGENDA 6:30 P.M. MOUNDS VIEW CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER REVIEW OF JANUARY 22 , 1987 PARK & REC. COMMISSION MINUTES I . AGENDA ADDITIONS PLf CHAIRPERSON' S REPORT • COUNCILMEMBERS REPORT • WELCOME TO NEW COMMISSIONERS LAKESIDE PARK FUNDING REPORT WOODCREST PARK IMPROVEMENTS AND PLAY STRUCTURE CITY HALL PLAY STRUCTURE IX . OLD BUSINESS 1- A. ICE RINKS B. SPRING PROGRAMS C. GROVELAND PARK TENNIS COURTS D. AQUATICS SUPERVISOR POSITION X. ADJOURNMENT MINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION • CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW COUNTY OF RAMSEY STATE OF MINNESOTA January 22, 1987 Mounds View City Hall Council Chambers 6:30 p.m. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:33 p.m. by Chairperson Wayne Burmeister. ROLL CALL Commissioners present: Commissioner Silvis, Long, Anderson, and Chairperson Burmeister. Councilmembers present: Councilmember Quick and Hankner. • Staff Present: Park and Recreation Director Saarion and Administrative Assistant Linke. Also in attendance were Pam Starr, John Daniels and Matt Rowley who were awaiting Council appointment to the Park and Recreation Commission. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Silvis, seconded by • Commissioner Long to approve the December 18, 1986 minutes as written. Motion passed unanimously 4 ayes, 0 nayes. AGENDA ADDITIONS None CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT No report COUNCILMEMBER'S REPORT No report WELCOME TO NEW COMMIS— SIONERS AND COUNCIL LIAISON Director Saarion introduced the new Commissioners and welcomed the new Council liaison Sue Hankner. COUNTY ROAD I BIKEWAY/ WALKWAY PATH Director Saarion and Councilmember Quick apprised the Commission of the plans to install sidewalks on both the north and south side of County Road I up to Highway 10. Councilmember Quick said that the Council discussed in length the decision to put sidewalks on both sides of County Road I and came to the conclusion that because the road is heavily traveled by elementary school children going to and from Pinewood School, that sidewalks would be beneficial on both sides of County Road I. • Commissioner Silvis requested staff to find out when the county plans to upgrade Silver Lake Road between Woodcrest and Silver View Parks. -2- JUDICIAL DITCH #5 • EXCAVATION IN RELATION TO GREENFIELD PARK Director Saarion informed the Commission that the City had awarded a contract to clean out Judicial Ditch #1 , Branch 5 which passes through Greenfield Park. This project will affect the path installed last summer between Hillview and Oakwood. The path will drain more effectively when finished. AQUATICS SUPERVISOR POSITION Director Saarion informed the Commission that Aquatics Supervisor Rechtzigel had officially resigned, but would remain on staff until a replacement is found. SENIOR/TRIPS COORD. Director Saarion informed the Commission of the hiring of Jeanette Spiczka as Senior and Trips Coordinator. She went on to explain that because of the growing senior population, there is a need for more activities for this group and that by hiring a Senior Coordinator, this interest group can be better served. FESTIVAL IN THE PARK Because of the lack of participation on the Festivities Commission, Director Saarion asked if the Park and Recreation Commission would be interested in providing the community advisory capacity to the annual "Festival in the Park" . After a brief • discussion, a motion was made by Chairperson Burmeister, seconded by Commissioner Silvis to appoint the Park and Recreation Commission as the advisory group to the "Festival in the Park" celebration. Motion passed unanimously 4 ayes, 0 nayes. Councilmember Quick advised staff that a proposal for revising the duties of the Park and Recreation Commission needs to be brought before the Council before the Commission can officially become the advisory group for the "Festival in the Park". Staff then asked the Commission if they felt the festival should be one or two days and which day it should be held on. A motion was made by Commissioner Long, seconded by Commissioner Silvis to hold the "Festival in the Park" celebration one day only on Sunday, July 19, 1987. The motion passed unanimously 4 ayes, 0 nayes. WOODCREST PARK AMENITIES Staff gave an overview of possible amenities to Woodcrest Park. Staff had requested quotes for soil borings to determine the quality of soil in the tot lot area. Bauer Testing suggested that soil testings • would not be necessary for the provision of a play structure if the City used frost footings when installing. The Commission agreed with this. Councilmember Quick suggested that the grade be determined prior to putting in the play structure. -3- Director Saarion suggested that in order to deter • children from playing in the ditch, which sometimes becomes quite deep with water, the City may wish to landscape it with bushes. A motion was made by Commissioner Silvis, seconded by Commissioner Long to ask the City Council to consider the purchase of amenities for Woodcrest Park. The motion passed unanimously 4 ayes, 0 nayes. Staff will prepare specifications for the amenities at Woodcrest Park and will bring them to the Commission for their approval. PROPOSED REVISED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PLAN PRIORITIES Director Saarion briefly discussed the revisions she made to the Capital Improvements Plan. CITY HALL PLAY STRUCTURE Director Saarion informed the Commission that the play structure in City Hall Park was in need of replacement and she would get quotes on new equipment and bring them to the next meeting. Councilmember Quick suggested that swings be included • in the equipment. OLD BUSINESS A. The City Council approved the bid specifications for the tennis courts, lighting, fencing and hard court surface at Groveland Park. Construction will begin this Spring. B. Vandalism - A tree was topped at Groveland Park and a brick thrown through a window at Woodcrest and the fire extinguisher sprayed inside the building. C. Skating rinks - even though the ice has been terrible because of the warm weather, there have been large numbers of skaters. ADJOURNMENT The motion was made by Commissioner Long, seconded by Commissioner Silvis to adjourn the meeting at 8: 15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, • Mary Saarion, Director ector Parks, Recreation and Forestry • MS/sl MOUNDS VIEW PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION PARK CLASSIFICATION DESCRIPTIONS • For purposes of analysis and planning, a functional classification and definition of the various levels of parks is described below. In general, there are three basic categories of parks that relate to Mounds View's needs - neighborhood, community, and metropolitan. A brief definition of each is as follows: Neighborhood Parks - relatively small but intensively developed parks having easy accessibility of residents within a distance of no more than three-fourths mile in most cases. Size may vary from a portion of a city block to several acres. Most space is put to some intensive use as opposed to large open landscaped areas. Neighborhood parks are further categorized as playlots, playgrounds and playfields. Playlots - are for use almost wholly by small children. Their size averages roughly two acres in area, and their function is to provide play facilities for small children who are not conveniently served by larger parks. Playgrounds - are usually about 10 acres in size and are designed for use by children from pre-school to age 12. They contain at least one softball diamond and a hard-surfaced area with standards for basketball and volleyball. If space is available, playgrounds may contain a wading pool, tennis court, playlot, and a small shelter with toilets. Their radius of influence ranges from one-fourth to one-half mile. Playfields - vary in size from 10 .to 30 acres and are designed to • provide recreation opportunities for all ages. They contain all the facilities of a playground plus additional ball diamonds, larger shelters, tennis courts, larger hard surfaced areas for badminton and shuffleboard, horseshoe courts, and a large landscaped area and lighting for adult evening use. Their radius of influence ranges from one-half to three-fourths mile. Community Parks - relatively large parks usually having natural amenities and designed for community-wide social and recreational functions. Community parks are generally noted for such activities as picnicking, strolling, swimming, and active gaming. Lighted areas for evening play are provided. In general community parks have a much greater share of their area left in its natural open state than do neighborhood parks. Metropolitan Parks - very large parks, which, because of their physical attractions and unusual development, provide recreation opportunities developed specifically for a metropolitan area's needs, and which provide recreation interests that are not normally satisfied in neighborhood or community parks. Numerous visitors are attracted to metropolitan parks irrespective of physical barriers to travel or of political boundaries. Metropolitan parks provide for recreational activities that occupy the major portion of a day or longer, such as camping, hiking, fishing, and boating. In many cases, relatively little development of facilities is needed. These three categories of parks - neighborhood, community, and metropolitan are not mutually exclusive. What is a metropolitan park may serve as a • community park for a nearby municipality, or a community park may serve as a neighborhood park for residents in its immediate vicinity. PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS: 1 . Acreage 2. Location 3. Accessibility • 4. Land Use and Population Density 5. Existing and Potential Recreation Areas OBJECTIVES which become ELEMENTS of a Park System: 1 . Recreation 2. Conservation 3. Ornamentation 4. Culture 5. Reserve 6. Operations and Maintenance • 411 a Selections from ANATOMY OF A PARK by • Albert J. Rutledge, ASLA DESIGN OF RECREATION AREAS MUST ADDRESS ITSELF TO MORE THAN SIMPLY THE SUPPLY OF A FACILITY. IT SHOULD STRIVE FOR THE PROVISION OF VISUAL REFRESHMENT NOT ONLY FOR THOSE WHO ENGAGE IN THE ACTIVITY WITHIN, BUT FOR THOSE WHO PASS BY DAILY AS WELL. PRINCIPLE 1 : Everything must have a purpose Design, therefore, must have purpose. One such purpose is to establish appropriate relationships between the various parts of the park complex. These parts include: Natural elements (water, land, plants, etc. ) ; use areas (game courts, ball diamonds, parking lots, roads, walks, maintenance yards, etc. ) ; major structures (buildings, dams, etc. ); minor structures (drainage, electrical and other utilities, fences, benches, drinking fountains, signs, etc:) ; people; and other animals. In addition, all are affected by forces of nature (wind, sunlight, precipitation, etc. ) . Interdependence among all the parts must be recognized and accomodated if any single part is to work. Consideration of such relationships extends from the broadest determination of the park's place in the city plan to the smallest decision about where to place the trash basket. • MATTERS OF CONCERN 1A. Relation of Park to Surroundings. Design focus must go beyond the limits of the park's boundaries in order to answer such questions as: Will the proposed park development cause flooding in the valley below? Will it cause traffic to back up into residential streets? Will the arrangement of the new facilities replace the pleasant view of undeveloped land with an unpalatable distraction? With the location of play areas encourage baseballs to fly into backyards? 1B. Relation of Use Areas to Site. Land cannot be wasted. Every corner of every site must be assigned a use. This does not necessarily mean active use. Lying fallow, land may serve as a buffer or a viewing panaorama. Whether they be for active or passive uses, facilities should be assigned only to portions of the site that are compatible with that use. 1C. Relation of Use Areas to Use Areas. Various uses should be analyzed in terms of compatibility with each other. For instance, nature walks, canoe lagoons, and spooning nooks can be considered alike for they are quiet and soul-satisfying, whereas tennis courts, handball surfaces, and basketball pavements are related because they are noisy and sweat producing. 1D. Relation of Major Structures to Use Areas. Is the gym entrance immediately handy to the playfield? Can the children move from kindergarten to the totlot without having to cross the parking area? Are classrooms • buffered from noisy game facilities? Can non-swimmers move from the bathhouse to the wading area without having to walk along the edge of a deep pool? -2- 1E. Relation of Minor Structures to Minor Structures. Is the bench close to the refreshment stand? Or must Mom juggle a half-dozen ice cream cones for 100 yards before she is able to sit down among her brood? Is the • seat near enough a light fixture which is supposed to illuminate its surface? Is it the right distance from the trash basket, thereby accomodating the easy flip of the discarded newspaper? THE KEY WORD "Why? What is your purpose?" PRINCIPLE 2: Design must be for people. People are the benefactors of any park development. MATTERS OF CONCERN 2A. Balance of Impersonal and Personal Needs. For instance, in the design of roads and parking lots, it must be recognized that the automobile demands a certain road alignment, gradient, roadbed structure, and curb height, as well as a 10 x 20 foot paved slab for storage. It must be remembered at the same time, however, that the person inside the auto seeks visual refreshment and mental exercise. Administrative efficiency is another essential in the park agency operation, and it is often met through the purchase of standardized items than to requisition a like amount of individual units, and it is economically beneficial to purchase mass-produced equipment. What happens when the result is that everything looks alike, looks alike, looks alike? Mental stimulation is suppressed. Identity is smothered in anonymity. An example of standization run amuck is the "typical" playground. Always • the same swings, the same teeter-totters, the same slides. Sameness dulls visual appetites, including those of adults who are there to supervise the kids or who pass alongside everyday. To designers of outdoor areas, this could imply that convenient gathering places should be a part of every development. Viewing and being with people may he as significant as engaging in formal games. Where interaction is to be encouraged, benches should be grouped to face each other, never back-to-back or isolated singly. THE KEY WORK: Where any action is ostensibly taken to provide for people, the key word is simply "people". PRINCIPLE 3: Both Function and Aesthetics Must Be Satisfied. MATTERS OF CONCERN 3A. Balance of Dollar and Human Values. Matters of function and those of aesthetics are solved concurrently in design. Hand-in-hand. Never apart. Facets of aesthetics are never thought of as window dressing applied after function has been solved: functional matters are never treated as evils in after some pretty picture has been established. Matters of aesthetics address themselves to the refreshment of the mind. • -3- PRINCIPLE 4: Establish a Substantial Experience • Each man—made unit is capable of evoking an emotional image whose influence could cause one immediately to label it "peaceful" or "exciting" or "awesome" or whatever else might appear to fit. MATTERS OF CONCERN 4A. Effects of Lines, Forms, Textures, and Colors. Every material object, whether it be fence, shrub, trash can, piece of playground equipment, or body of water, exhibits line, form, texture, and color. That is, through these elements, all ordinary things have aethetic potential. It remains for the landscape architect to harness that potential in order to produce an emotional effect. 48. Effects of Dominance. To exploit their potential, the designer acts from an understanding that the aesthetic elements are never experienced alone, but in relation to one another. It is seldom that the pink bloom of a tree is disturbingly garish by its mere presence, but it may be if it clashes with nearby blues and yellows. Accordingly, the designer must contend with the qualities of all objects from every viewpoint as one might move about. There must be measures taken to see that the eye focuses on only material objects which have the dominant qualities and does not stray to things which radiate other expressions. 4C. Effects of Enclosure. The effects of enclosure are hardly ever • consciously appraised, but it remains that you are affected by being enclosed even though you may be absorbed in other pursuits. Appraise the impact of the sensations. Sit under the low hanging branches of a crab apple tree in an enclosed courtyard. Is it comfortable for retreat, meditation, subdued conversation? Then place your chair in the middle of a football field or, even better, the Bonneville Salt Flats if it is handy. Feel any difference? Now walk down a road flanked by Lombary poplars. Are you compelled to move forward? Afterwards, stroll into a flattened wheat field. Have you now lost the urgency to strike out in a definite direction? Finally, survey a panorama of rolling valleys laced with undulating brows of mature trees. Does a refreshing and uplifting feeling come upon you as your eye meanders through the animated volumes? Move down into the nearest glen. Are the intitial sensations retained?. PRINCIPLE 5: Establish an Appropriate Experience In site development, surmising that what exists is already understood and therefore accepted, the landscape architect strives to transfer the aesthetic qualities of that which is already present to that which he proposes for new construction. MATTERS OF CONCERN 5A. Suited to Personality of Place. Locations have personalities or pervasive moods which can be described as awesome, exhilerating, virile, • peaceful, etc. 5B. Suited to Personality of User. In the transition from old to new, creativity can provide certain twists which will ensure that, at. the same time, effects which reflect the personality of the user are interjected. A -4- The premise can be equally well applied to public places which are used by such definable memberships as ethnic group or groups with strong regional traits. Flamboyant design seems reasonable for the public squares of the 111 extroverted, and the daring and unorthodox are forms which the pioneer-minded might happily embrace. 5C. Suited to Personality of Function. If we stretch definitions a bit, we will find that activities also have personalities which can be translated into physical development through design. It can be assumed that one has gone to such a place in a frame of mind associated with the anticipated activity. It follows that meditation will be enhanced if it takes place in a peaceful environment, while playground action will be heightened if it is performed in a free space with bright colors and other features which add up to spirited and active surroundings. This placing of function is an expected setting serves to intensify user enjoyment. By aesthetic suggestion, one is encouraged to engage in the activity more fully. 5D. Suited to Scale. Design of outdoor facilities concerns itself with two variations of scale. The first is human scale. If man is to be comfortable, there must be things in space which he can mentally measure in terms of his own height, arm length, width of his finger, etc. If these are not provided, man tends to become confused, for he cannot comprehend. He is overwhelmed. Speed scale is also of design concern, for the swiftness with which you move affects your ability to experience. If you are going at 60 miles per hour in your auto, you can only distinguish the large shapes. If you are walking, however, the slower pace enables you to experience the greater • intricacy. PRINCIPLE 6: Satisfy Technical Requirements. MATTERS OF CONCERN 6A. Sizes. It makes sense to locate facilities on portions of the site where only slight remodeling of the topography will be necessary to complete the construction. 6B. Quantities. If five tennis courts or one hundred boat slips are called for, it is because it has been determined that the demand for tennis or boating will cause that many to be used constantly. It is always good practice to provide for expansion of those facilities whose popularity might be expected to increase in a foreseeable time period. 6C. Orientation to Natural Forces. Wind is another natural element which can affect activity. Boat docks should be located out of the path of water-churning wind. Picnic areas require breezes to take away cooking smoke. Heaviest snow loads occur on the lee side of north-facing slopes. 6D. Operating Needs. Tight turns are hard to negotiate. Steep pitches are tough to manage. Drastic slopes are difficult to mow. -5- PRINCIPLE --5,-- PRINCIPLE 7: Meet Needs for Lowest Possible Cost. It is incumbent upon the designer to avoid unnecessary costs. Yet, in another sense, he is obliged not to skimp, for his professionalism dictates that his design must satisfy the true needs of the development. MATTERS OF CONCERN 7A. Balance of Needs and Budget. It is as foolish to consider exotic plantings if expert horticulturists are not on the agency's staff as it is to plan for a public swimming pool if there are ne funds available for lengthy upkeep. 7B. Use of Existing Site Resources. Football fields in the existing flats, toboggan runs on the available north-facing slopes, etc. 7C. Provision of Appropriate Structural Materials. Durability Appearance Availability Tactile Qualities Climatic Adaptability Drainability For example, in a playground, you might consider concrete for a peripheral walkway since durability is the most essential criterion and place sand under the swings where softness and quick drainage are of paramount concern. • 7D. Provision of Appropriate Plant Materials. Later expenses attributed to maintenance can also be minimized by the selection of proper plant materials at the time of design decision. Like lumber, stone, concrete, and other inanimate materials, animate plants can serve to define static and directional spaces, provide human scale detail, screen wind, sun, and views, abate noise, control erosion, and channel circulation. Accordingly, plants like the other materials must be of such size, shape and staying power as will suit the job they are given. 1 . Plants can form spaces. 2. Plants can direct circulation. 3. Plants can provide detail interest. 4. Plants can deter wind. 5. Plants can supply shade. 6. Plants can buffer odors. 7. Plants can suffocate noise. B. Plants can retard erosion. 9. Plants have predictable forms. 10. Plants have predictable growth rates and sizes. 411 -h- 7E. Attention to Details. Raising planting surfaces (or depressing walks) can deter people from short-cutting through and stomping upon the plants. Similarly, depressing sand areas in playgrounds helps to keep the grit in its proper place. PRINCIPLE 8: Provide Supervision Ease Obviously, use of a park must have some supervision. And every public place has its share of legitimate "don'ts." But "don't" is a culprit word. It nags. It looms as a challenge. To gain the necessary control , yet retain for the user his sense of freedom, landscape architects attempt to replace "don'ts" with "do's" by organizing use areas and circulation routes in a manner that will make it appear reasonable to use the facility as the designer intends and the administrator desires. This is the easiest way to facilitate supervision . . . let design layout provide a message which will guide the visitor into a use pattern with which he will agree. PUT THE DO's IN BY DESIGN. For discussion purposes, vandalism has two sides, although in actual cases, the lines are most likely to be blurred, requiring control measures addressed to both categories. Relatively benign is the nuisance or "push over the outhouse for kicks" type of property destruction. Face it, folks. You did this too. It is reasonable to assume that much of this damage is caused by people whose basic respect for property is momentarily put aside by a devilish spasm. By way of analogy, consider your new automobile. You take pains to keep from placing the first scratch upon it. But once the first dent appears, the • second does not seem to matter as much. And after the third and fourth, the car becomes in your mind just another beat up old "bomb" not worth worrying about.. A park inviting this state of disdain becomes equally fair game. The park which does not have the first scratch upon it is likely to be cared for. The seemingly insolvable problems are in the hard-core habitually vandalized areas where the public's entrenched hang-ups outweigh a basic respect for property. Where these cases are rampant developments should first of all be designed for sweeping police inspection; potentially vandalized structures clustered rather than distantly spaced about the site; views cleared from the streets into the park; if fenced, a minimum number of entry points located within visual range of well-trained arteries. SOME FACTORS AFFECTING THE DESIGN OF A BASEBALL FIELD Buffer noises and flight of errant baseballs. Flat surface draining to periphery. Direct access from parking lots or pedestrian entrances to spectator area. Location of drinking fountains, comfort stations, concessions stands. Maintenance equipment stored near diamond or elsewhere? Postioning of bleachers or other viewing accomodations. 111 Static space. Cleared field. Dark outfield background. -7— Layout dimensions according to rules of the game including at least 300 feet down each foul line. 111 Is fee control necessary. Sun out of eyes of batter and pitcher. Soil appropriate for grass growth. Permeable soil. Avoid access to other park units across outfield. No hidden obstacles in playing field. Lighting system on egress routes for twilight games.