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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOMMISSION_MINUTES_1998-02-26MOUNDS VIEW PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Thursday, February 26, 1998 City Hall, 6:30 p.m. CALL TO ORDER: Chair Silvis called the meeting to order. ROLL CALL: All Commission members were present including Chair Silvis, Commissioners Dentz, Starr, Long, Stevenson, MacDonald, and Benz. Also present was Councilmember Gunn and Director Saarion. MINUTES: Motion was made by Commissioner Dentz and seconded by Commissioner Stevenson to approve the minutes of January 22, 1998. Motion passed unanimously. MEMBER INTRODUCTION: Chair Silvis introduced new Parks and Recreation Commissioner Mary Benz. UPDATES: Director Saarion informed the Commission that the City Council had adopted a resolution as recommended by the Parks and Recreation Commission to approve the Rice Creek North Regional Trail master plan. The resolution has been signed and sent off to Ramsey County. Director Saarion reported that the Mayors and Managers and School Board of the District had meet to discuss athletic facilities. The joint tournament complex idea was tabled because of cost and lack of available land. Direction was given to go out and plan ways of altering, improving and sharing athletic facilities to accommodate the needs of the district. Parks and Recreation Directors and School District will be meeting every month to create a plan including proposals for facility improvements, continued needs assessment, scheduling strategies and partnerships with youth athletic associations. Community Center bids will be opened next week. The City Council has requested the presence of Community Center Task Force members at the Work Session, Monday, March 2. Bid information will be presented by architects. Director Saarion informed the Commission that the grant application for the LCMR grant for purchase of wetland and mitigation of area of Community Center property for parking, including storm water ponding for runoff was handed in - word to be received in May whether grant is accepted or not. PROGRAM REPS: Commissioners were given program areas which they are to represent in regards to citizen input, suggestions, ideas and ways for improvement. It is hoped that Commissioners will provide that important link between resident participant and staff. Commissioners were assigned areas of programming which they are either affiliated already with or have skills and interests in that particular area. See Assignments attached. SUMMER PLAYGROUNDS: Staff requested input from the Commission regarding the format of Summer Playground programs. Safety Camp is being planned this year after a summer without it. After discussion Commission provided direction that Safety Camp should be held during the middle of Summer Playground programs - as part of the programs so that there would not be a need for additional fees, and in an effort to get as many youth to participate as possible. Safety Camp was directed to be held the week of July 13 - 16 with Friday as a trips day. Commission wanted the Summer Playground program to be a low fee as possible because it is a subsidized program intended to benefit all youth in the summer regardless of economic status. Commissioners also expressed concern about the high cost of youth trips and requested staff to program less costly trips. Director Saarion concurred that trips are expensive - the highest cost typically bus transportation. ADULT MEN'S SOFTBALL RULES: Director Saarion discussed the home run rule and requested Commissioners' thoughts on the options. The intention is to reduce the amount of home runs hit over field fences. As softball equipment becomes more technical, the ability for home runs increases. When the wind blows the right direction at Silver View and City Hall Parks, balls hit high and long have the tendency to drift out of the field. The idea is to make a league rule that discourages home run hitting. After considering many options for the home run rule, Commissioner Long made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Starr to adopt the home run rule which allows 2 hitters in Class C and I hitter in Class D to be designated home run hitters - determined by the first players to hit home runs during a given game. All other home runs are declared afoul ball - home run on the fourth foul ball would be an out Motion passed unanimously. ENTERTAINMENT IN THE PARK: Director Saarion announced a new program - Entertainment in the Park - which is possible because of donations by Medtronic and Irondale Hockey Association. Four Sunday evenings of musical entertainment is planned during the month of June at Lakeside Park. SWIMMING: The Aquatics program is changing to a Ellis & Associates curriculum which provides more flexibility in training and licensing lifeguards and swimming instructors. In addition, the curriculum is more user friendly rather than competitor skills (more similar to YMCA swimming lessons). In addition, Ellis & Associates provides training assistance, lifeguard and swimming staff evaluations and on-going training. The switch over to this new aquatics program will begin this Summer. Lifeguards and Swimming Instructors will be trained in the new technologies of lifesaving and new curriculum of the Learn to Swim program this Spring. PLAYLOT REQUEST PARK IMPROVEMENTS: Director Saarion reported that the Manager of Woodlawn Estates Apartment complex visited her office and suggested that the empty lot on Woodlawn Drive be groomed for a playlot for children of the apartments. Staff checked into the status of the two lots and found that both were tax forfeited properties. The size could accommodate a very small soccer field and/or a small overlapping ball field. The lots require clean-up, mowing, fill and seeding. The play space would be next to a street, but it was suggested that bushes could be planted along the roadway to hinder children from running into the street - or could be fenced. After discussion, Commissioner Starr made a motion seconded by Commissioner Long to recommend to the City Council declaration of these two parcels of tax forfeited property as parkland - to be improved for a grassy playlot Motion passed unanimously. Staff will provide further information to the City Council regarding costs and labor for improvements and will present this information at the April Work Session. Hillview Park hockey boards are very old. Planks and hardware has been replaced numerous times with a result being that the facility looks unsightly. The court is paved for multiple use both as a hockey rink during winter as well as rollerblade hockey rink and basketball court during Spring, Summer and Fall. The function of the facility is very good - but there is a need to replace the hockey boards. Approximate cost is $10,000. Staff requested Commissioner's thoughts on this proposal. In addition, Staff reminded Commissioners about the need for additional netting at Greenfield Park baseball field to decrease the number of foul balls landing on the parking lot, damaging cars and potentially hitting and hurting people in the park. (Commissioners recalled the visit to the park last summer when Councilmember Gunn's car was hit and dented with one of 7 foul balls hit in a matter of minutes into the parking lot). Director Saarion reported that she had requested participation of funding from the Irondale Baseball League. There reply was that they did not have capital funding and that the Board felt that it was the responsibility of the City to provide adequate facilities in the parks to safeguard both players and spectators. Commissioners discussed this issue. Motion was made by Chair Silvis and seconded by Commissioner Long to recommend park improvements to the City Council including new hockey boards at Hillview and additional netting at Greenfield Park baseball field using Park Dedication Funds, not to exceed $1$, 000 for the two projects. Motion passed unanimously. Director Saarion will elicit project costs for these two projects and request approval by City Council at the April Work Session. CONMSSION GOALS: Because the lateness of the hour, this topic was tabled until next meeting. Staff will provide Park Capital Replacement schedule for new Commission members - to be distributed at the next meeting. ADJOURNMENT: Motion was made by Chair Silvis and seconded by Commissioner Long to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed unanimously.