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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-11-2013 Park & Rec Comm. MinutesMINUTES AUGUST MEETING DATE NADEAU PARK MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION LITTLE CANADA, MINNESOTA JULY 11, 2013 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a regular meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission of the City of Little Canada, Minnesota, was held on the 1 lth day of July, 2013, in the Council Chambers of the City Center located at 515 Little Canada Road East in said city. Chair Patti Sullivan called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. and the following members of the commission were present: MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: ALSO PRESENT: Ms. Patti Sullivan Ms. Linda Fahey Mr. Jeff Heikke Mr. Dan Slain Mr. Kevin Steinert Mr. Kong Vang Mr. Tom Maida Mr. Jim Morelan, Parks & Rec Dir. Mr. Bill Sanders, Parks Consultant Mr. Kevin Helander, Cable TV Prod. Ms. Kathy Glanzer, City Clerk The Commission unanimously approved the minutes of the June 6, 2013 meeting. It was noted that the Ice Cream Social will be held on August is`, which would typically be the Commission's August meeting date. The Director indicated that, if it appears necessary to hold a formal meeting, he will contact the Commission with a suggested date, possibly Thursday, August 8w The Director reported that at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, July 24111, the playground equipment manufacturer will he doing a photo shoot of Nadeau Park for their promotional materials. The Director encouraged any of the Commissioners to attend. He also indicated he will put MINUTES PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION JULY 11, 2013 together a plan for a grand opening ceremony and inform the Commission of the details. PIONEER The Director reported that a Committee consisting of two members of the PARK Commission, the two Recreation Program Supervisors, and himself have USAGE been meeting during the last month. The Director reported that the POLICY Committee felt it was not necessary that the usage policy be specific. Slain served on this Committee and indicated that it was felt the policy should be simple. Slain stated that the Committee felt that the director should have the call on the usage of Pioneer Park, with the Director keeping in mind the commitment that the City made to the neighbors of the Park. Vang served on this Committee and commented that it was felt that park usage should be focused on usage that benefits the citizens of Little Canada. He stated that the purpose in keeping the policy simple is that there could be a variety of events proposed at the park, and the Committee felt that the policy should not limit those possibilities. The Director indicated that he will present the usage policy to the Council for ratification. Heikke asked if there was a usage policy for other parks. The Director replied that the facilities at Pioneer Park are such that warrant a policy of this nature. Usage of other park facilities are either controlled by the School District or are rented to users with rental policies in place. Heikke recommended adoption of the Pioneer Park Usage Guidelines as proposed by the review committee. Motion seconded by Fahey. Adopted 6 — 0. ICE CREAM Steinert reported that planning for the Ice Cream Social is underway. SOCIAL The event will be held on Thursday, August 1, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Spooner Park. Steinert reported that the K9 demonstration, Fire Department, and Roseville Puppet Show have been scheduled for the event. The Director reported that Culver's will be providing frozen custard floats as well as the personnel to do the serving. He encouraged the Commissioners to attend. 2 MINUTES PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION JULY 11, 2013 WARMING The Director reported that the architect on the warming house project HOUSE completed the final building plans, which the Director then reviewed in PROJECT detail. I-Ie noted that the new warming house will be in the same location as the existing one at the north side, but is 12 feet longer. The new building is 300 square feet larger than the old. This additional square footage relates to the restroom addition. The Director reported that the architect's estimate for the building is $166,150 plus a $6,600 contingency. The City Engineer's estimate to bring water, sewer, and install a sewer pump into the site is $23,500. This brings total estimated costs at approximately $196,000. The Director noted that the City budgeted $150,000 for this project. The Director reported that he presented the project and estimated costs to the City Council. They asked if there were areas where costs could be reduced. The architect looked at the project and reported that the finish materials on the upper exterior of the building and interior ceilings could be changed out to plywood rather than utilizing maintenance -free materials at a cost savings of approximately $10,000. The Director pointed out that this change would result in on -going maintenance costs. The Director also reported that the Council asked if bathroom facilities in the old fire hall could be modified so that they could be utilized by warming house and skateboard park users. The architect estimated the cost to retrofit the old fire hall bathrooms at $65,000. The architect also indicated that the bathrooms could not be improved to meet Code given their ceiling height. He also indicated that the Code does not allow for a building to be constructed with the expectation that bathroom facilities will be in an adjacent building. The Director also reported that elimination of the bathrooms in the new warming house would result in a $55,000 savings. The Director indicated that in presenting this information to the Council, the consensus was that the existing warming house needs replacement. He noted that the building is 32 years old. The Director also pointed out that this park area has 9 to 10 months of usage with ice - skating and skate- boarding. The Director reported that the Council expressed concern that the estimate is approximately $50,000 over budget, and wants to plan for where these additional dollars will come from. He indicated that the City Engineer's utility estimate is based on those improvements being made as part of the Little Canada Road improvement. The Council voted to make the utility improvements this year. The Director indicated that the Council asked that staff look at additional ways to either reduce project 3 MINUTES PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION JULY 11, 2013 costs, identify other funding sources, or plan for the additional cost as part of the 2014 Budget. There was some discussion about building materials, with Sanders indicating that it appears they are very basic in nature. The Commission expressed disappointment that the project is being delayed until 2014 given the obvious need. The Director indicated that there may be inflationary increases in constructing the project next year. He noted, however, that the City will not be subject to paying sales tax in 2014, which may be an offsetting savings. PARKS & The Director reported that as part of the 2013 Goal Setting Session a goal REC was adopted relative to review of the Commission appointment process. COMM. Based on that goal and Council discussion, staff surveyed surrounding ORDINANCE cities to determine how they handle the appointment process, whether or not terms limits are in place, how chairs and vice chairs are appointed, etc. The Director indicated that staff drafted a proposed ordinance amendment for Council consideration. Prior to Council review and adoption, the Council has asked the Parks & Recreation Commission to comment on the key points under consideration. The Director reported that this matter will be placed on the Commission's next agenda for detailed review and a recommendation to the Council. MARKET PLACE MORNING TALKS The Director reported that the next Market Place Morning Talk will be held Wednesday, August le, on the topic of healthy eating. YOUTH The Director reported that youth registrations are now open for After REGISTRATIONS School Basketball, Soccer clinic, Soccer Pre- League, and Soccer League. Given school is not in session, registration notification has been sent to former participants via email and notice in the City's newsletter. When school is in session, flyers are distributed through the schools. PARK The Director reported that some of the wooden park signs are showing SIGNS wear, and Sanders is working with signage companies to get proposals to rejuvenate these signs. 4 MINUTES PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION JULY 11, 2013 PICKLEBALL The Director reported that a resident approached him expressing interest COURTS pickelball and asked if the City would consider installing courts. These are similar to tennis courts, but smaller. The Director asked the Commission to think about this request and possible locations for the courts. STORM Vang noted the recent storm damage and asked if the City has an arborist DAMAGE inspect the park trees to ensure that any vulnerable trees are dealt with. Vang pointed out the recent incident where a tree fell on a person killing them. The Director reported that storm damage in the parks has been cleaned up, but indicated that a formal tree examination has not been made. The incident cited was where a tree had rotted at ground level and fell. This occurred after the recent storms, not during. ADJOURN Steinert moved the meeting be adjourned. Motion seconded by Slain. Motion carried 6 — 0. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:10 p.m. Respe tfully sub S tied, Cathy GlaCJei City Clerk 5