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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPK PACKET 03082004"March 8, 2004 Meet At Silver Point Park at 6:15 P.M. For a Building Tour" CITY OF ST. ANTHONY PARKS COMMISSION AGENDA March 8, 2004 7:00 P.M. Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER. II. ROLL CALL. III. APPROVAL OF FEBRUARY 9, 2004 PARKS COMMISSION MINUTES. IV. URS REPRESENTATIVE WILL BE PRESENT. V. REPORTS: A. Community Services B. School Board C. Sports Boosters VI. OTHER BUSINESS. VII. ADJOURNMENT. Reminder: Joint City Council /Parks Commission Meeting April 12, 2004 at 5:30PM 716 C �" t t 1 CITY OF ST. ANTHONY 4 PARKS COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES 5 February 9, 2004 6 7:00 p.m. 7 Conference Room 8 9 10 1. CALL TO ORDER. 11 Chair Jindra called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and welcomed everyone in attendance. 12 13 TI. ROLL CALL. 14 Present: \ Chair Carol Jindra, Commissioners Colleen Hallada, Erich Young, 15 l��t Ganley, Julie Gebhardt, and Eva Knudson. 16 17 Absent: Vice Chair Doug Koehntop; Representative from the School Board 18 Denise Dunn; Representative from Community Services. 19 20 Also Present: Public Works Director Jay Hartman; City Council Member Randy 21 Stille; Representative from Sports Boosters George Zurbey. 22 23 2A III. APPROVAL NOVEMBER 10, 2003 PARKS COMMISSION MINUTES. 26 Motion by Commissioner Gebhardt, second by Commissioner Ganley, to approve the November 10, 27 2003 Parks Commission Meeting Minutes as presented. 28 29 Motion carried unanimously 30 31 IV. WELCOME NEW PARKS COMMISSION MEMBERS/INTRODUCTIONS 32 33 Chair Jindra introduced and welcomed the new Park Commission members, Eva Knudson and Erich 34 Young. She stated that they also have a new Council Liaison, City Council Member Randy Stille. She 35 welcomed him and invited him to say a few words later on the agenda. 36 37 V. PARKS UPDATE 38 39 A. Central Park Update 40 41 Chair Jindra indicated that this would be a short meeting. She explained that they would not be able to 42 review the open punchlist items because BRW Representative, Rich Koechlien was not able to attend 43 this evening. 44 45 Commissioner Hallada asked if the punch list was still open for issues with the building. Chair Jindra 4` confirmed that it is. Commissioner Hallada explained that a resident had contacted her regarding issues k- with the men's bathroom. She stated that the wall tiles were mentioned as a concern and asked if it Parks Commission Meeting Minutes February 9, 2004 Page 2 could be included on the punchlist. She suggested that the Commission tour the structure one more time. 4 Chair Jindra stated that they could possibly tour the structures at both Central Park and Silver Point Park 5 as a part of the next Parks Commission meeting. She asked if everyone had an opportunity to visit the 6 structures or the ice rinks. 8 Commissioner Young stated that he has had the opportunity to use all of the rinks at one point or 9 another during the season. He stated that the rinks are in great shape. He stated that the parks have a 10 great group of employees adding that he would rate the rinks a B+ or an A-. 11 12 Commissioner Hallada asked Commissioner Young if he found it difficult to access the rink. 13 Commissioner Young noted the hills surrounding the rink stating that the children seem to enjoy sliding 14 down the hill onto the rink. He stated that the rinks are in fabulous shape and the Park Staff has done a 15 great job maintaining them. 16 17 Chair Jindra agreed stating that the Public Works Department has done a great job managing the rinks. 18 19 Mr. Zurbey asked if there has been any resolution to the tact to take regarding the open punchlist items. 20 He indicated that there are five major issues of concern: batting cage erosion, the grass situation on the practice football field, northwest field was to be cut to 75 -foot bases and it has not been done. He stated 22 that youth groups, as well as the High School Baseball Coach, worked on both the Varsity and the 23 Southwest Baseball Field's. Mayor and Auggie have acknowledged these issues and asked if they have 24 decided how to approach the issue and what form of deductions would be made for them doing work 25 versus the contractor. He expressed concerns stating that if they don't have a plan in place that they 26 should work to get one in place soon. He stated that they would need the 75 -foot field in addition to the 27 hockey boards. 28 29 Chair Jindra acknowledged Mr. Zurbey's concerns and clarified that all of the issues mentioned are 30 included on the punch list. She stated that they would not have any answers to his questions until Mr. 31 Koechlien returns. She noted that they would also have to wait until the snow melts to fully access all 32 of the issues. 33 34 Mr. Zurbey stated that the batting cage should be addressed now. He suggested that they establish a 35 plan now to deal with the issues in an effort to avoid delays into April and March and they find 36 themselves without a plan. 37 38 Public Works Director Hartman stated that he would meet with Mr. Koechlien to update him on the 39 Commissioners concerns and be sure that he is fully aware of all of the issues. He stated that he would 40 also ask him to prioritize the issues and assign timeframes for completion. He indicated that he would 41 also ask Mr. Koechlien to attend the next Park Commission Meeting. 42 Commissioner Hallada asked for clarification as to who would be responsible for items not working 4 properly in the parks. Public Works Director Hartman stated that he would discuss these issues with 45 Mr. Koechlien. He indicated that he would clarify the plan they have in place to address the hockey Parks Commission Meeting Minutes February 9, 2004 Page 3 1 rink, the seeding in the spring, the extension of the fields to 75 feet, and the sprinklers. He noted that 2 the only thing they are unsure of at this point is the bituminous curbing along the pathway, which would 3 address the erosion in the batting area. 4 5 Chair Jindra noted the runoff from the lower parking lot at the high school into the fields and suggested 6 asking Ms. Dunn for a follow-up at the next Park Commission meeting. Public Works Director Hartman 7 referenced the problems with the storm sewers stating that the school anticipated having to deal with the 8 stormwater runoff. 10 Chair Jindra asked if a maintenance plan is being developed for maintenance of the fields in the spring. 11 Public Works Director Hartman stated that he would be meeting with John Hopco and Tom Foley and 12 plans to work with them to develop a maintenance schedule. He stated that they would continue to do 13 the aeration noting that maintenance would be a combination of responsibility. Chair Jindra asked 14 Public Works Director Hartman to keep the Commission informed. 15 16 Commissioner Gebhardt asked how long it would take to replace the trees. Public Works Director 17 Hartman indicated that he would be contacting the site contractor soon to discuss the schedule. He 18 stated that it was his understanding that the contractor plans to be onsite and begin replacement 19 approximately May 15, 2004. 20 Chair Jindra referenced the landscaping and suggested contacting one of the area gardeners to see if they 2z would be interested in designing a layout for the plantings. She referenced the Village Gardeners and 23 asked if they would be interested. Public Works Director Hartman agreed that they would be a good 24 group stating that they have a very full schedule and would probably not be available. He stated that the 25 residents have been working together to develop a plan to plant and manage the area. 26 27 Commissioner Ganley clarified that they have the original punchlist for Central Park. Chair Jindra 28 confirmed that they have the original punchlist and reviewed with the Commission. 29 30 Commissioner Ganley asked if they have the opportunity to add issues that could arise in the spring 31 once the original items are completed. Chair Jindra stated that she would clarify the warranty periods 32 and update the Commission. 33 34 B. Silver Park Update 35 36 Chair Jindra reviewed the status of the park structure with the Commission. She explained that it is a 37 small structure but appears to be serving the purposes needed at the Park. Public Works Director 38 Hartman indicated that they plan to extend the patio area with picnic tables for the summer season. 39 40 Chair Jindra suggested that the Commission tour the park structures. Public Works Director Hartman 41 suggested that the Commission schedule a 6:15 p.m. tour of both park structures prior to the next 42 Commission meeting. Parks Commission Meeting Minutes February 9, 2004 Page 4 1 Commissioner Hallada referenced the cutout windows and asked if they could be painted black to make 2 them less visible. Public Works Director Hartman stated that they were painted for the interim adding 3 that there is a special product that would be applied in the spring. 4 5 VI. REPORTS. 7 A. Community Services. 8 9 None. 10 11 B. School Board. 12 13 School Board Representative Denise Dunn was not present. 14 15 C. Sports Boosters. 16 17 Mr. Zurbey stated that the Boosters wanted to pass it along that they have gotten a lot of positive 18 comments back on the parks. He stated that they are all very positive about the condition of the rinks 19 and parks. He stated that Representatives from the school, Kathy Knapp, Gary Qualm, Roy Erdahl and 20 the Softball and Baseball Commissioners would be meeting February 11`h to develop a schedule for the field usage. He indicated that the thought would be to rotate usage of the fields between the softball and 2t soccer teams. He invited Public Works Director Hartman to the meeting stating that it would be at 6:30 23 p.m. on February 11, 2004, at City Hall/Community Center. He noted that they had heard from 24 someone at the school that the north/south soccer field might not be available for scheduling. He 25 explained that it was his understanding that the fields would not be available because they have to do 26 additional seeding and fields might not be ready in time for the season. He expressed concerns stating 27 that they would need the field for the additional soccer teams this season. 28 29 He stated that they are working through the process of developing the teams for the new season noting 30 that they do not know the number of teams yet for each age group. He asked Public Works Director 31 Hartman if the fields, from a grass standpoint, would be playable in May. Public Works Director 32 Hartman stated that they anticipate that the fields would be ready to go weather permitting. 33 34 D. Ted Severson, Soccer Commissioner — Snorts Boosters 35 36 Ted Severson stated that he has been a member of the Sports Boosters for a number of years and is 37 currently performing as the Soccer Commissioner. He explained that he is personally responsible for 38 scheduling over 200 games for children in St. Anthony every year and it's always good to get things 39 moving ahead in planning for the Spring Season. He stated that they run approximately 700 children 40 through the soccer program each year. He noted that he has three assistants that help him manage the 41 teams throughout the season. He explained that he attended the Parks Commission meeting this evening 42 with the hopes of discussing and developing a plan or process for better communication and improved coordination of the scheduling process for the fields. He explained that the present process requires him 4 to forward the schedule to Community Services to schedule the fields. He stated that he has to work 45 with Community Services to get a schedule noting that he has a difficult time communicating with all of Parks Commission Meeting Minutes February 9, 2004 Page 5 1 the individuals involved in the process. He expressed concerns stating that if they implement the plan to 2 rotate use of the fields it could create more problems. He stated that they should give consideration to 3 the equipment needs for the different sports teams and the respective fields noting that it would require 4 additional planning and work to move the equipment to the appropriate fields each week. He reviewed 5 the approval process noting that it is a very difficult process to work with. He asked the Commission for 6 their input stating that the Sports Boosters are the number one user of the facilities and yet they have 7 very little decision-making authority in moving the process forward. 9 Chair Jindra explained that the Commission is not involved in the scheduling process. She further 10 explained that the plan all along was for a multi -use facility. She stated that they would have to 11 continue to work with the School, the City and the Boosters. Commissioner Hallada noted that once the 12 fields are in place and moving forward the entire process should improve. 13 14 Mr. Zurbey clarified that they have been working with Kathy Knapp to develop a schedule. He 15 explained that it is when the school becomes involved that some of the fields become unavailable for use 16 and it makes it difficult to schedule all of the teams. He stated that it was his understanding that all 17 fields would be available to play. He suggested that the Commission clarify the appropriate scheduling 18 process. He stated that he is not clear as to Kathy Knapp's position and authority, relative to the School 19 and the Director. 20 Public Works Director Hartman reviewed the use of the Parks, based on City Ordinance, noting that it 2z states that use of the Parks would be coordinated through Independent School District 282. He 23 explained that the reason Ms. Knapp is so instrumental in the scheduling process is because the City of 24 St. Anthony does not have a Parks Department and they have taken on the scheduling function. 25 26 Commissioner Gebhardt acknowledged Mr. Severson's frustration and asked Council Member Stille to 27 consider discussing Mr. Severson's concerns with the City Council. She noted that the City now has 28 several beautiful parks and now is the time to consider various options within the City to help with the 29 maintenance of the parks. 30 31 Mr. Severson clarified that it is not his intent to create a negative situation or issue. He explained that 32 he only wants to suggest and encourage improvement of the current system. 33 34 VII. OTHER BUSINESS. 35 36 Chair Jindra noted that Kathy Knapp is the Director for Community Services and asked if a new 37 representative had been assigned to the Commission yet. Public Works Director Hartman stated that a 38 new representative has not yet been designated. 39 40 Chair Jindra suggested that the Commission begin the planning process for the Grand Opening 41 Ceremony for Central Park. She suggested scheduling Central Park for late spring and Silver Point 42 during the summer season. She suggested including community organizations, the media and newspaper in the planning and promotion of the park openings. She stated that if school is still in 44 session for the spring opening they could include the school bands, enlist the services of the builders 45 clubs and youth groups noting that June would be a warmer month for planned outdoor activities. Parks Commission Meeting Minutes February 9, 2004 Page 6 2 Public Works Director Hartman agreed and suggested that the Commission decide on what month they 3 would like to have the park opening as he would like to include it in the spring newsletter. Chair Jindra 4 clarified that the newsletter is published quarterly. 6 Commissioner Gebhardt asked for a schedule of the article deadlines for each quarter of the newsletter. 7 Public Works Director Hartman stated that he would check on the deadlines and update the 8 Commission. 9 10 Commissioner Hallada asked when maintenance of the parks would be handed off to City. Public 11 Works Director Hartman stated that it would be handed off to the City on September 4s'. 12 13 VIII. CITY COUNCIL UPDATE - Randy Stille — City Council 14 15 Council Member Stille introduced himself to the Commission stating that he would be the Council 16 Liaison for 2004. He thanked everyone for their service on the Parks Commission noting that it is a joy 17 to see people serving and working with the Community. He stated that the City Council has been 18 discussing their communication process with the various Commissions and from those discussion the 19 Council has scheduled a joint meeting with the Parks Commission. He stated that the meeting is 20 scheduled for April 12, 2004 at 5:30 p.m. and suggested that they consider including a discussion of the parks grand opening as an agenda item. He encouraged the Commissioners to share their thoughts and 2t ideas noting that the overall purpose of the joint meeting is to provide both the City Council and the 23 Parks Commission with an opportunity to meet and get to know each other, become familiar with their 24 issues and concerns. He explained his role with the Commission stating that he would attend the Parks 25 Commission meetings as needed. He stated that he would watch the meetings via cable tv and 26 encouraged the Commissioners to email or call with any questions or concerns. He thanked everyone 27 stating that they appreciate all of their help in fine-tuning the City Parks. He stated that the residents are 28 truly excited to get the parks back for their use. 29 30 Mr. Zurbey referenced Council Member Stille's comments regarding his attendance to the Parks 31 Commission meetings stating that he would prefer to see Council Member Stille attend every Parks 32 Commission meeting. He explained that communication between the Council and Commission should 33 take place meeting to meeting, with updates from the Council on a monthly basis. He stated that this 34 would also give Council Member Stille the opportunity to take back any issues or discussion items from 35 each of the Parks Commission meetings. He expressed his disappointment to learn that some of the 36 Council Members were not even aware of the activities presently taking place in the City Parks. He 37 stated that all of the Council Members should be aware of what is going on in our parks. He would like 38 it requested that the Council Member attend every Parks Commission meeting. 39 40 Council Member Stille thanked the Commission and expressed his appreciation for their comments. He 41 assured the Commission that he would be present as often as needed and that he would stay abreast of 42 all issues. He asked the Commission to play it by ear for the time being. 9 44" Commissioner Ganley asked if there are any early numbers available that show the number of users at 45 the ice rinks. Public Works Director Hartman stated that it is too early in the season to get a true idea of Parks Commission Meeting Minutes February 9, 2004 Page 7 1 the number of users. He indicated that they would do a tabulation of users towards the end of season. 2 Commissioner Ganley suggested that they publishing the numbers when they become available. 3 4 Public Works Director Hartman suggested that Council Member Stille tour the parks with the 5 Commissioners. He stated that they would meet at 6:15 p.m. on April 12, 2004 at Silver Point Park to 6 tour the new park structure. He stated that they would also tour the Central Park structure, returning to 7 City Hall to resume the regular Parks Commission meeting at 7:00 p.m. He asked the Commissioners to 8 take some time to put together their ideas for the grand opening and be prepared to discuss at the March 9 meeting. 10 11 IX. NEXT AGENDA 12 13 • Parks Grand Opening Ceremonies for Central and Silver Point Parks. 14 • Review punchlist with Rich Koechlien. 15 • Consider forming a subcommittee for the planning and coordination of the grand opening. 16 • Meet at 6:15p at Silver Point Park in March 17 18 X. ADJOURNMENT. 19 20 Motion by Commissioner Young, second by Commissioner Hallada, to adjourn the meeting at 7:54 p.m 22 23 Motion carried unanimously, 24 Respectfully submitted, 25 26 Bonita Sullivan 27 Timesaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. To: From: Date: Jay Hartman, Director of Public Works Rich Koechlein, ASLA February 11, 2004 Copy: Subject: Central Park — Critical Items MEMORANDUM Thresher Square 700 Third Street South Minneapolis, MN 55415 Phone: (612)370-0700 Fax: (612)370-1378 File: 35185-005 Summary As the 2004 construction season approaches, there are still some remaining issues that have been identified as items to be addressed. This is a summary of the items identified by the parks board commission as well as how and when they will be addressed. 1. Turfgrass In general, the ballfields are in very good condition with only spot seeding needed. The outer areas including the areas around the Pavilion are extremely thin and need to be overseeded. Veit and Premier (the seeding contractor) have said that they will be back out to fix the bare spots in the spring as soon as they can get back on the fields. 2. Trees There are 8 trees labeled dead and 21 trees labeled as marginal on the punch list done in September. Also identified in the punch list were 2 trees that need to be straightened, dead shrubs (4), and weeding around the crab trees. These are all warrantee items that Veit's sub- contractor North Metro Landscaping needs to fix. Veit has been told to make sure they get this work done as soon as the weather permits. We should anticipate this work to be done by the middle of May. We do not want them out there too early because there equipment for moving the trees will dig up the turf if the ground is wet. 3. Hockey Boards The hockey boards have gaps in the boards provide a safety hazard and could injure someone. URS and Veit have worked on a solution that will involve replacing all the boards. The new boards will be kiln -dried to reduce excessive shrinking and be longer to reduce the amount of joints and stiffen the boards up. Bolts will be used to reduce the amount of twisting and warping. Veit anticipates replacing the boards in late March or early April depending on the weather. 4. Infield Enlargement The two westerly fields are being enlarged to accommodate 70 foot bases and the varsity field adjusted the baselines and pitching mound. The work on the varsity field was done by volunteers and the Cities Public Works Department. The southwest infield was enlarged by City staff and some volunteers, but 2 irrigation heads still need to be adjusted. The City plans to enlarge the northwest field in the spring and will have to adjust 2 more irrigation heads. 5. Batting Cage Erosion Erosion continues to be a problem at the batting cages. There is surface water coming down the path from the infield area and across the path from the extra drain tile that comes from the varsity field. A number of solutions have been discussed and we have decided to add a small bituminous curb along the batting cage to direct the water around the ag-lime area. Any additional issues will be addressed as needed.