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Parks and Environmental Commission Regular Meeting Minutes <br />September 13, 2021 <br />Page 7 <br />1 Chair Bellinger asked if there is off street parking at Silver Lane. Mr. Gumke stated that court <br />2 is adjacent to wellhouse #5 where there is a driveway for public works staff and there is also <br />3 an adjacent pad for parking of vehicles for the original parking patrons. Two can comfortably <br />4 park there. There are a few parking spaces along the north side of Silver Lane. That is all he <br />5 is aware of. <br />6 <br />7 Mr. Gillard stated there is a cul-de-sac adjacent to the courts and would that be considered <br />8 legal on-street parking. Mr. Gumke stated it is a residential neighborhood where on street <br />9 parking is allowed. There is legal on street parking between Silver Lake Road and Silver Lake <br />10 Court. <br />11 <br />12 Commissioner Guest asked if it is appropriate to make a motion. Chair Bellinger stated she <br />13 and Commissioner Reed both support Option #1. Commissioner Guest stated Option #1 <br />14 makes the most sense at this time since pickleball is growing in popularity. <br />15 <br />16 City Manager Yunker commented the presentation and discussion clearly shows the increased <br />17 interest and how big that interest is. That location can’t handle the level of demand there is in <br />18 St. Anthony at this time. Further discussions need to be held to determine what needs to be <br />19 done in the future to meet the demand. Staff is willing to facilitate that going forward. <br />20 <br />21 Motion by Commissioner Guest, seconded by Commissioner Niemi, to recommend the City <br />22 Council approve Option #1 to dedicate Silver Lane Tennis Courts to Pickleball Courts as <br />23 proposed. <br />24 <br />25 Motion carried unanimously. <br />26 <br />B.27 Proposal to Adopt Wild Turkey Management Plan <br />28 <br />29 City Manager Charlie Yunker reviewed in the fall of 2020, staff was contacted by residents <br />30 that were encountering difficulties in managing wild turkeys on and near their property. The <br />31 turkeys were causing a nuisance to the residents and the neighborhood, and deterrence <br />32 techniques were not effective in relocating the flock. <br />33 <br />34 Staff took some time to research options for removal of the turkeys and found that residents <br />35 do not have options for professional removal services for turkeys. The U.S. Department of <br />36 Agriculture is currently the only organization able to perform removals, and they will only do <br />37 so if a City has a formal management plan in place. This plan allows for a City to request a <br />38 removal permit for public property, or on behalf of a resident/business owner of private <br />39 property, to have the USDA perform removal if determined to be necessary. To date, wild <br />40 turkeys have not presented a significant problem on any city-owned property. <br />41 <br />42 Staff received guidance from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on <br />43 implementing a Wild Turkey Management Plan and was provided with a template plan and a <br />44 workflow document that detailed the steps needed for adoption of a plan. A draft plan was <br />45 presented to the City Council at their May 11, 2021 Work Session, and direction was given to <br />46 staff to proceed with drafting a final plan to present for approval.