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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks Packet 12.16.20Agenda Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Commission Meeting of December 16, 2020 Hugo City Hall, 7:00 pm This meeting will be held remotely pursuant to MN Statute Sec. 13D.021. Anyone who wishes to speak at the meeting is strongly encouraged to make arrangements by 4:30 pm on the meeting day by contacting Parks Planner Shayla Denaway at 651-762-6342. For more information on the remote meeting and participation, go to https://www.ci.hugo.mn.us/participate. Meeting ID: 837 2889 4272 7:00 pm 1. Approve Minutes from November 18, 2020 Meeting 7:02 pm 2. 2020 Annual Report 7:30 pm 3. 2021 Goal Setting 8:00 pm 5. Adjournment Page 1 of 2 Parks Commission Agenda December 16, 2020 Background Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Commission Meeting of December 16, 2020 Hugo City Hall, 7:00 pm Approve Minutes from November 18, 2020 Meeting Staff recommends approval of the minutes of the Parks Commission meeting of November 18, 2020. PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED MINUTES. 2020 Annual Report Staff will present the 2020 Annual Report of the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Commission. PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED REPORT. 2021 Goal Setting Staff recommends that the Parks Commission draft goals for 2021 for recommendation to the City Council. A DRAFT OF THE 2021 GOALS ARE ATTACHED. THE PARKS PLAN CAN BE FOUND AT: https://www.ci.hugo.mn.us/2040compplan Page 2 of 2 Parks Commission Agenda December 16, 2020 Minutes Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Commission Meeting of November 18, 2020 Hugo City Hall, 7:00 pm Meeting held remotely pursuant to Minn. Stat. Sec. 13D.021 Present: Cathy Moore-Arcand, Roger Clarke, Shawn Haag, Nicole Schmid, Dave Strub, Ranelle Tennyson Absent: Mat Rauschendorfer Staff Present: Scott Anderson Public Works Director Shayla Denaway, Parks Planner Debi Close, Secretary Strub called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. 1. Approval of Minutes from the October 21, 2020 Meeting Moore-Arcand made a motion, Clarke seconded to approve the minutes of the October 21, 2020 Parks Commission meeting. Ayes: Dave Strub, Roger Clarke, Cathy Moore-Arcand, Nicole Schmid Abstained: Ranelle Tennyson Motion carried. Shawn Haag joined the remote meeting at 7:07 pm. 2. Lions Park Design Development Parks Planner Shayla Denaway provided an update on the progress being made to design Lions Park. Sub- committees were appointed by the City Council at their meeting on October 19, 2020. The Committees met on October 29, 2020 to start the design of Lions Park. The Park Site Committee discussed the plazas, landscaping, and courts. Their preference was for low maintenance landscaping with some high -quality features. The committee talked about lighting some of the trails at night and having focal point lighting around the building. The skate park was relocated to the north end of the park. Tennis courts and possibly pickle ball will be constructed. The committee is not looking to Page 1 of 2 Parks Commission Minutes November 18, 2020 construct an ice rink as that is likely to be located at Hanifl Fields Athletic Park. Commissioner Nicole Schmid questioned the stormwater management strategies. Peter Rainer (14683 FITZGERALD AVE N) attended the meeting in person. He shared that his is pleased that the skate park is being moved to the north side of the park and shared a drawing with other ideas of where to locate features. Chair Dave Strub thanked Rainer for participating in the meeting and giving his input. Denaway shared that the Playground Committee discussed having an inclusive versus accessible playground. The committee discussed having lots of unique features including a large focal structure, zipline, swing coaster or climbing feature, and possible exercise equipment. Having an area for teens and tweens to hangout was important. Fencing the entire playground area with limited entrances was discussed as a priority. The Pavilion Committee discussed having a committee room similar in indoor size to Rice Lake Center- 100 person capacity in addition to an outdoor pavilion. The building will include restrooms, a server, 4 sided architecture and creating an indoor/outdoor feel with lots of natural lights. Chair Strub recapped that the performance stage will be on the north side of the building and the vision for the open feel. 3. SHIP Active Living Partnership Project 2021 Denaway updated that Washington County has announced another round of Active Living Partnerships for 2021, offering funding through the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP). Staff asked the Parks Commission to consider an application to allow for studying a trail north of Lions Park to the new elementary school site. Schmid expressed concerns over the wetlands and wanted noted that the school is building some trails on their plans. Moore-Arcand shared that she has walked the area and felt that the property is really interesting. She stated that it is a great opportunity to partner with the Watershed District and is also excited about the idea of providing educational opportunities and the connections to existing trails. Strub said that it is a great opportunity to partner with the Watershed District, School District, and there is potential for a great project. There was general consensus on going ahead with application for funding for a study. 4. Adjournment Cathy Moore-Arcand made a motion, Nicloe Schmid seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:05 pm. All Ayes. Motion approved. Page 2 of 2 Parks Commission Minutes November 18, 2020 Development Projects Oneka Commons Sketch Plan At the January 19 meeting, the Commission reviewed a sketch plan for Oneka Commons, located south of CR 8. As of the end of 2020, the developers have not indicated that they will be moving forward with the mixed -use project. Hugo Gardens At their May 20 meeting, the Parks Commission accepted park dedication for 84 apartment units in in seven buildings located west of Lions Park called "Hugo Gar- dens". The park dedication fee of $87,414 was calculated with consideration of the 2.11 acres of land previously dedicated in the LaValle Fields PUD. Cosntruc- tion on the roads and utilities started in fall 2020. Oneka Lake Reserve At the July 15 meeting, park dedication was approved for Oneka Lake Reserve that included .65 acres of park land and $26,400 in fees. The developer proposed to construct amenities on the small park, located off of 150th Street, including a gazebo, small playground, picnic tables, and sidewalk track. Construction was not started in 2020. EXTERIOR ELEVATION 1 EXTERIOR ELEVATION SCALE: 118" = 1'-W EXTERIOR ELEVATION 3 CITY CIF JGO EST. 1908 PARKS REPORT Arcand Park Opened The Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Commission opened a new neighborhood park in 2020, now named Arcand Park. The Adelaide Landing residential development was first conceptualized in 2016. Construction of this new neighborhood park in the Hugo system was made possible through park dedication. The Parks Commission accepted 7.7 acres of land and $1,128 per unit in fees for the residential development of 324 homes. The park was master planned in 2019 and envisioned to serve the adjacent neighborhoods, as well as Adelaide Landing, with more recreation amenities offered than typical Hugo neighborhood parks. Features of the park include a sizable playground, a large -capacity park shelter, two pick- leball courts, basketball half -court, open play field, and an off -road paved trail network. Neighborhood Selects Playground In the spring of 2020, residents were invited to vote on four playground options. Through two virtual meetings and social media, valuable input was gathered from residents. A playground was selected that featured a zipline, climbing net, toddler play area, swings, and slide structure was selected from Ultimate Recreation, a vendor not used in Hugo parks before. Park Named in Honor of Former Property Owners Residents also submitted their ideas for a name for the new park. The City Council selected "Arcand Park" in honor of OR Arthur Arcand, the former owner and farmer of the property. A grand opening was held on October 7. The warm, sunny weather allowed for great participation in the celebration and appropriate social distancing. 7EmCODNO FLOOR Goodveiw Avenue Trail Study The City of Hugo was awarded a $10,000 Active Living Partnership from Living Healthy Washington County, through the Statewide Health Improvement Program. With the funding, studying the feasibility of a priority trail corridor along Goodview Avenue was made possible. The study was authorized by May 4 Parks Commis- sion meeting. The road has wetlands on both sides which were delineated. This informed the trail concepts presented by WSB and Associates at the August 19 meeting. The concepts included an alternate on -road route on Geneva for the northern segment versus a trail on Goodview. For the southern segment, trails on both sides or a wider trail on the west side of the road were presented as options. The Commission's preference was presented at their September 16 meeting of an 8' wide trail with 5' wide boulevard on the west side of the entire corridor. Cost estimates were provided. The Commission voted to accepted Goodview Avenue Feasibility Study but did not recommend construction at this time. Covid-19 Response As the Covid-19 pandemic arose in spring 2020, use and attention to Hugo's parks and trails system grew. However, the majority of the programs and special events that the City offers were cancelled, including the Tour de Hugo. As people were instructed to stay at home and away from others, outdoor recreation became a safe outlet for many. Use of Hugo's network of trails and sidewalks increased. Additional attention was paid to Hugo's playgrounds. While a few cities opted to "close" playgrounds, Hugo's playgrounds remained open. The Mayor Tom Weidt put out this message to Hugo's park users in March and it has continued to be impactful through the end of 2020: Within our parks, areas such as playgrounds, picnic tables, sport courts, and the skate park can be difficult to use safely and follow the CDC's recommendations. Many residents are choosing to avoid these areas all together. There are some residents that may be upset that parks have not been closed. There are other residents that would ignore any order to not use them. Every time you choose to go somewhere, pause to think about the risks that you are taking for you and your neighborhood. If you choose to proceed, be sure to follow the Governor's guidelines. Everyone is counting on you to use good judgement. As I have said before, take seriously the direction to stay at home and practice social distancing with those around you. Please do your best to be a good neighbor. Share what you can, help them when you can, and we will make it through this as safely as possible. JD 3 Project The Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD) started a ditch maintenance project in 2020 that impacted several city -owned properties, trails, and parks. As the Drainage Authority, RCWD is required to maintain a network of Judicial Ditches. This includes JD 3 which goes through the Victor Gardens neighborhood and Clearwa- ter Creek Preserve adjacent to City trails. JD 3 also extends north near Oneka Parkway through Frog Hollow Park and beyond. The work included removal of vegeta- tion and trees to allow for a mainte- nance corridor, excavation of the channel, and culvert replacement. Construction is on going and addition- al restoration is anticipated to happen in 2021. Moving Forward The City Council and Parks Commission reviewed a Feasibility Study for Lions Park at a workshop on June 29. The study included minor changes to the master plan to ensure that the park aligns with the Hugo Gardens development and antic- ipated road improvement projects. Updated cost estimates of construction were presented and the Council and Commission discussed funding options. The Feasibility Study was adopted by the Council at their July 20 meeting. A remote community workshop was held on October 7, with a few participants joining the zoom meeting and in -person at City Hall. An online survey tool was used during the meeting and was made available online in the weeks following. Design development of the park kicked off in the fall with the formation of stake- holder committees made up of volunteers from Hugo Commissions and residents. WSB and HCM Architects were selected to help with the design. One committee was formed to design the large playground and youth play areas. A second com- mittee was charged with designing the large multi -purpose pavilion which is intended to accommodate large community events, multiple small gatherings at a time, performances, and more. Committee meetings were held on October 29 and November 24. All meetings are being held remotely via zoom. An additional meeting will be held in January 2021. Following approval of a schematic design, construction documents will be drafted and bids are anticipated to be awarded in 2021 Goals Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission Approved by the Parks Commission at their December 16, 2021 meeting •Address trail and greenway connectivity with new developments. • Look for opportunities to fill the gaps in the trail network. •Study the feasibility of a trail north of Lions Park. • Provide for the recreation needs of our diverse population. •Strengthen and build partnerships to efficiently provide recreation options. •Evaluate existing recreation programs and amenities and explore new options. • Continually inspect existing parks to maintain a list of assets and their condition. • Enhance and maintain existing trails and parks. • Replace the playground at Beaver Ponds Park. •Continue to prioritize community park projects as opportunities arise. •Design and construct Lions Park. •Plan and enhance Irish Avenue Park. • Include RCWD ditch maintenance in implentation of the Clearwater Creek Preserve Master Plan. •Actively utilize the Comprehensive Plan as a planning tool. •Respond to resident input. • Review development applications with respect to the Parks, Trails, and Open Space Plan and Park Dedication Policy. • Review the Park Naming Policy.