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Home My WebLink About2016 Parks Annual ReportNew McCollar Park Opened At a Grand Opening held on September 10, McCollar Park , a community collab- oration was celebrated. McCollar Park resulted from a variety of contribu- tions. Several years ago, Pratt Homes dedicated the land to the City of Hu- go as part of their park dedication require- ments. The property remained passive until the additional homes in the neighborhood and a request from resi- dents generated inter- est in a playground. To satisfy the park ded- ication requirements of the 4th Addition, Pratt Homes installed the park shelter, planted trees, installed irrigation, and graded the property . The HOA approached the Parks Commission and offered to make a financial contribution of $20,000 towards purchase of play equipment. The Parks Commission included the remaining $50,000 needed for the playground in their Capital Improvement Plan . At a neighborhood meeting held on April 13, Burke equipment from St. Croix Recreation was selected. Shortly following, the playground design was finalized and construction began. Hugo Public Works did concrete and grading work, put in sod, and made irrigation adjustments. The play equipment is neu- tral in color scheme with a youthful splash of lime green. There is a play house, swings, nucleus climbing structures for young and old. The main feature is a spinning net structure. McCollar Park is the first Hugo park to in- clude fitness equipment- an airstrider and recum- bent bike from Xccent Recreation. The Park is named in honor of Mac McCollar and the McCollar family whom were the former own- ers of the property on which the Fable Hill neighborhood now sits. On a beautiful fall day, a large crowd gath- ered to celebrate the completion of the park. Claudette McCollar was hon- ored. Many thanks were given to all of the contribu- tors including the Parks Commission, City Council, Len Pratt and Pratt Homes, and the Fable Hill Homeowners Association. Inside this issue: Trails 2 Lions Park Workshop 2 Public Works Update 3 Tour de Hugo 3 Recreation Recap 4 2016 Annual Report Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission Commission Members: Dave Strub, Chair Cathy Moore-Arcand John Pontrelli Mathew Rauschendorfer Nicole Schmid Ranell Tennyson Vacancy Rachel Berger, Alternate Page 2 “Kids need to go wild in a more managed place.” ~Goodview Avenue Property Neighbor Lions Park Workshop Held Goodview Avenue Property Neighborhood Meeting Held Focus on Trails Continues Trails were a big part of the 2016 goals of the Parks Commission. This included con- structing a trail with the annual street reconstruc- tion project select- ed by the Council– Oneka Lake Boule- vard. The other goal was to identify trails that would not be built with develop- ment or road projects. This discussion took place over three meet- ings. It included a review of the trails plan and a close study of the existing and planned trail net- work. The Trail Develop- ment Policy which helps establish priority of trails that are not likely to be built by normal means (a road reconstruction pro- ject or property develop- ment). Examples of the partnerships and plan- ning that went into the construction of existing trails were discussed. An exercise was conduct- ed to identify missing links in the trail system. Existing and planned trails will be reviewed again with the compre- hensive planning pro- cess. been known to hang out there, and some bad be- havior has been reported. The neighbors have asked that the Commis- sion do something to stop the problem. Over 300 notices were sent out to the adjacent properties inviting residents to par- ticipate in a discussion The Parks Commission has long valued working with residents and responding to their input. Complaints have been received regarding the 2.34 acre city-owned property off of Goodview Avenue. Pedal bike jumps have been built at the property, youth have about the short and long term future of the prop- erty at a meeting on November 9. Residents shared mixed opinions of what should be done with the property from selling it to continuing to allow youth to use the property. ment Guidelines ap- proved in 2011 and the concept plan approved in 2015 were reviewed. Discussion included in- frastructure needs and financing options. A fea- sibility study by WSB and Associates not to exceed a cost of $17,000 was approved following the workshop. The study will include how re- development of the park may be phased and a cost breakdown. On April 28, a joint work- shop with the City Coun- cil was held to discuss the next steps of Lions Park. The workshop was one of the 2016 goals of the Commission. A tour of the park started off the discussion. The Develop- 2016 Oneka Lake Boulevard (road reconstruction project) Elmcrest Avenue (residential development) Tour de Hugo Expands Page 3 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission Over 400 riders participated in the 2016 Tour de Hugo held on Saturday, September 24. The sixth annual com- munity bike ride attendance nearly doubled from 2015. Changes included adding a new 70 mile route and ad- justing some of the other routes based on rider input. Sponsorships increased which helps cover everything from the t-shirts to the lunch that riders receive. The 6 mile family ride was led by elementary school Principals Dahlem and Healy. Wanting to support a healthier Hugo, the planning team decided to make the family ride free to participate in. Medallions were awarded at the finish line outside City Hall. Riders reported that they loved the beautiful scenery, were grateful for the goodie bag, and enjoyed the fun energy stops. The Tour de Hugo is becoming famous for its cake break which was again great- ly enjoyed. After receiving a request from a youth resident, addi- tional lacrosse nets were made available in Hugo parks at Lions Park and Diamond Point. In conjunction with regularly scheduled road maintenance, bituminous repairs and seal coating was completed on the trails in the Heritage Ponds, Waters Edge and Beaver Ponds neighbor- hoods. Engineered wood fiber was added to play structures at Val Jean, Arbre and Diamond Point Parks. The surfacing is designed for aesthetics, child safety, and ADA wheelchair accessibil- ity. It compacts over time and needs to be topped off. The City of Hugo Public Works Department main- tains 435 acres of parks, 33.5 miles of sidewalks & trails, and over 10 open spaces. Construction continued in Clearwater Cove and Fable Hills. Both of these develop- ments built a new parks this summer as well as trail and sidewalk connections. A new access to Clearwater Creek Preserve was added to the Fable Hill neighborhood. A trail was built along Elmcrest Avenue by Kettler Construction with Victor Gardens North Village 7th Addition. Park Dental com- pleted another local to re- gional trail connection in that area. Public Works Update In 2016, the City of Hugo continued their partnerships with a variety of organizations to provide Hugo resi- dents with additional recreation options. The year started with 3 well-attended movie nights in the gymnasium at Oneka Elementary School. Assis- tance was given to the Hugo Business Association as they held Kidz ‘N Biz again this year on April 30. Over the summer, Tech Tac Toe was brought in for the second year to host fun STEM camps for a variety of ages. These included Droids & RC Vehicles Lego Star Wars, Extreme Movie Making Fun- Minecraft and Star Wars, and Amazing Lego Robotics. The City ‘s collabo- ration with the Washington County Library system ex- panded to include WBLAS Extended Day program at the Story Strolls. The Big Fun Show was held at Hanifl Fields Athletic Park and received rave reviews. Mac- Phail Center for Music’s Animals Make Music pre- school program was held at City Hall. After 6 years, a new twist was added to the summer’s highlight: Park Play Days. The program was offered once a week, but the fun and games traveled to each of the parks in Hugo. The new bounce castle was enjoyed by many Hugo kids. The fall brought the annual Tour de Hugo bike ride. Visitors checking out the geocaches placed in Hugo parks also picks up in the fall. A Matter of Balance and other programs for active seniors were attempted but did not have much participation. Hugo City Hall 14669 Fitzgerald Avenue Hugo, MN 55038 651-762-6300 Parks Commission Staff Contact: Shayla Denaway 651-762-6342 sdenaway@ci.hugo.mn.us Thank you to the Hugo Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Commission, who works to provide immediate and long-term strategic guidance and direction for the development of parks and recreation programming for the citizens of the City of Hugo. The seven member Commission is made up of volunteers appointed by the Hugo City Council. The Commission meets once a month on the second Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. The meetings are open to the public and held at Hugo City Hall. City of Hugo Recreation Recap: www.ci.hugo.mn.us