Park & Recreation

PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING – APRIL 16, 2015 MINUTES The Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting of the Andover Park and Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Stenzel on April 16, 2015, 7:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Commissioners Present: Vice Chair Jim Lindahl, Commissioners Ted Butler, Alisa Lewnau, Angela Marinello, and Mark Miskowiec Commissioners Absent: Commissioner Sarah Elstrom Also Present: Assistant Public Works Director, Todd Haas AGENDA APPROVAL Chair Stenzel indicated the applicant for Item 5 was not at the meeting so he suggested tabling this item to the workshop session unless the applicant arrived before the meeting was over. Motion by Butler, seconded by Lewnau, to table Item 5 to a workshop session. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, 0-nays, 1-absent (Elstrom) vote. RESIDENT FORUM No one appeared to address the Commission. RECONSIDER MARCH 19, 2015, MEETING MINUTES Chair Stenzel indicated the March 19, 2015 minutes were erroneously approved and should have been tabled for changes that needed to be made. Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Marinello, to withdraw the original approval of the minutes. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, 0-nays, 1-absent (Elstrom) vote. Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Marinello, to approve the March 19, 2015 Park and Recreation Commission minutes as revised. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, 0-nays, 1-absent (Elstrom) vote. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – April 16, 2015 Page 2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES There were no changes. Motion by Lewnau, seconded by Miskowiec, to approve the April 2, 2015 Park and Recreation Commission minutes as presented. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, 0-nays, 1- absent (Elstrom) vote. CONSIDER DONATION OF SCOREBOARDS / ANDOVER FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION / PRAIRIE KNOLL PARK This item was tabled to the workshop session. CONSIDER PROTECTIVE NETTING QUOTE AT ANDOVER STATION NORTH BALL FIELD FACILITY Mr. Haas explained this item is in regard to considering protective netting quote at Andover Station North Ball Field Facility. Mr. Jason Saulsbury, President of the Andover Baseball Association (ABA), stated they understood this was a security issue and the Board of Directors of ABA approved fifty percent of the costs on the netting and labor. Chair Stenzel asked if the length will be enough. Mr. Saulsbury indicated it will not eliminate all of the issues of the balls going over the fence. It will extend another eight feet and will protect the parking lot. He thought this will be a good starting point. Commissioner Butler asked if this netting will extend to the building. Mr. Saulsbury stated it would not. It will go from the backstop down the foul lines. He stated there will still be the concern with the things up and over the backstop. He thought this was a good starting point. Commissioner Miskowiec asked what the lifespan is on the netting. Mr. Haas indicated he is not sure. Would be able to get some additional life out of it if taken down each winter but that would depend on how hard it is to remove. Chair Stenzel indicated it is probably ten years leaving it up all winter long. Commissioner Lewnau wondered if there is a price on the backstop netting also because it made sense to do both since they have to pay for labor to install the one. Mr. Haas stated the real issues are in the middle and west fields, not the east field. Mr. Saulsbury stated what they are proposing will solve some of the issues for the time being and they can make some other minor changes in order to make the area safer. Chair Stenzel asked how far down the foul line the netting would extend. Mr. Saulsbury indicated he did not know the length and would need to find out. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – April 16, 2015 Page 3 Mr. Haas stated the Commission needs to make a motion to approve this with the understanding that this will be funded from the miscellaneous fund. Motion by Butler, seconded by Miskowiec, to authorize the allocation of up to five hundred ($500) dollars for materials for the installation of netting at Andover Station North to be matched by the Andover Baseball Association. Commissioner Lindahl asked if they need to include the cost of installation in the motion. Mr. Haas stated he needed to verify if this netting is for two fields or only one. Commissioner Butler rescinded his pervious motion and Commissioner Miskowiec withdrew his second. Motion by Butler, seconded by Lewnau, to table this item until they can find out the cost of materials and labor costs. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, 0-nays, 1-absent (Elstrom) vote. CONSIDER REVISED DRAFT KELSEY ROUND LAKE PARK RFP / 15-11 Chair Stenzel reviewed the draft plans of the Kelsey Round Lake Park RFP. Mr. Ben Shaw, 4050-147th Lane NW, asked if the Round Lake Association could get a copy of what is currently being recommended for the park. He stated they would like to see what is being proposed. Some of the things they heard in the previous meeting were very nice. This park is a very natural area and they requested the park be kept as natural as possible. Chair Stenzel explained what an RFP is and the process. Mr. Clinton Trousil, 3940-149th Avenue NW, asked what is in the RFP planning. Chair Stenzel stated the RFP is a request for proposal to go out and find somebody to hire that comes in and looks at the area. They are typically landscape architects. There are firms out there that do master plans for public spaces. Mr. Trousil asked if they will do traffic and body counts. Chair Stenzel indicated the consultant will look at everything and make recommendations. Mr. Haas noted the architects will probably not look at the traffic on the roadways but they will look at how people are using the park. Mr. Trousil stated the park gets used and there were fifteen cars on the road with people who were using the park and he was not sure if putting a parking lot in at the end of the street would be good because that could create a lot of traffic and congestion with a lot of kids doing things he did not think was good. Chair Stenzel indicated that is why they are going after an RFP so this process takes place. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – April 16, 2015 Page 4 Commissioner Lindahl stated on page four there are still some dates that are outlined and he thought they needed to be deleted or extended. Mr. Haas stated they needed to modify those dependent on what happens at the meeting tonight. Commissioner Miskowiec indicated he liked the changes that have been made because they are leaving them a little more open to be broadened or not. Chair Stenzel noted some of the items the Task Force deemed possible in the park of which many were passive activities such as kayaking, nature paths, picnic areas, archery, canoeing, benches and other passive type of activities. They did not want ball fields in the park. The Task Force was sensitive to the neighborhood and wanted to keep the nature aspect of the park. They would also like more people to enjoy and use the park. Commissioner Lewnau asked if this is something that should be looked at now or could the $50,000 be used now to add things like irrigation to the parks. She wondered if this could be pushed back on the CIP. Chair Stenzel stated this came up as part of the CIP last year and at that time, there was talk about doing this instead of putting $50,000 toward irrigation. Commissioner Butler indicated he has been on the Commission for nine years and they have talked over the years about doing something with Kelsey Round Lake Park. This project has always been pushed back as other projects have come forward and he would like this to move forward as well. Commissioner Lindahl thought this park was beneficial for possible future grants and funding. Commissioner Marinello asked if the grants would only be able to be used for Kelsey Round Lake Park or could they be used in other parks. Commissioner Miskowiec stated the grants are usually park specific. Chair Stenzel stated typically when applying for a grant the City needs some sort of a plan and this will give them the opportunity to qualify for the grant. He stated because of the uniqueness of the area and what kind of park it is, it offers a lot of grant opportunities that the City has never pursued before and this is more nature based so it could be exciting. Mr. Haas stated the DNR is going to be interested in this park and the park will be high on their list due to previous DNR grants that have been provided to the park for improvements. Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Butler, to recommend the City Council approval of the RFP. Motion carried on a 4-ayes, 2-nays (Lewnau, Marinello), 1-absent (Elstrom) vote. ANOKA COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT 1ST QUARTER REPORT Chair Stenzel reviewed the list of reports generated by the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office regarding city park activity for the 1st quarter of 2015. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – April 16, 2015 Page 5 PARK DEDICATION IMPROVEMENT FUND 1ST QUARTERLY REPORT / FINANCE DEPARTMENT Mr. Haas provided the quarterly review of the Park Improvement Fund including the Project Commitment Listing Report, Balance Sheet, and Revenue and Expenditure Reports for the Park Improvement Fund as of March 31, 2015. Commissioner Butler stated the $48,300 in park dedication fees from residential development in the first quarter seemed like a strong number to him and he wondered if that was higher than anticipated. He indicated it was more than a quarter of what they estimated. Mr. Haas stated they are ahead of schedule and things picked up this past month. REVIEW OUTSTANDING ITEMS Mr. Haas reviewed outstanding items with the Commission. Mr. Haas updated the Commission on the progress of the City Hall Recycling Center improvements and stated there is a light almost in the middle of the intersection and is pretty typical to only install one light at an intersection. He noted there may be two lights at an intersection depending on how wide the road is. He stated the road is pretty narrow but another light could be added if the Park Commission wanted to spend some funds on it. He did not think they would be gaining a lot. The cost would be approximately $6,700. Commissioner Butler stated he has been there at night and it does not seem very bright there. He thought this seemed like a dangerous intersection coming out of the hockey rink parking lot. He stated he is concerned about this intersection and is a safety issue and felt the City Council needed to take a look at this. Commissioner Miskowiec wondered if there was any way to make the light brighter. Mr. Haas indicated he would look into that. Motion by Butler, seconded by Marinello, to recommend the City Council look into the light issue at the entrance to the City Campus Hockey Rinks and Recycling Center as a safety and security issue. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, 0-nays, 1-absent (Elstrom) vote. Motion by Butler, seconded by Lindahl, to reinstate Item 5 to the agenda as Item 11. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, 0-nays, 1-absent (Elstrom) vote. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – April 16, 2015 Page 6 CONSIDER DONATION OF SCOREBOARDS / ANDOVER FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION / PRAIRIE KNOLL PARK Mr. Haas indicated this item is in regard to recommending approval of a resolution accepting the donation made by Andover Football Association (AFA) for new scoreboards at Prairie Knoll Park. Ms. Twila Hauck-Martin stated the Andover Football Association is proposing to upgrade the current scoreboards located at Prairie Knoll Park and the Association is proposing the current scoreboards at Prairie Knoll Park be relocated to Sunshine Park. Ms. Hauck-Martin indicated the Andover Football Association has allocated $50,000 toward the project of the scoreboards. The quote for the new scoreboards is for a total of $45,150.00. This does not cover the cost of the electrician to connect the new scoreboards. The price for the re-location of the current scoreboards is $8,450.00, electrician costs not included, of which the Andover Football Association proposes to pay for up to $4,000.00 of the re-location. Ms. Hauck-Martin is requesting the Park and Recreation Commission pay the remaining balance of the repair of the horns and relocation of the current scoreboards for relocation at Sunshine Park. Commissioner Butler wondered what the cost would be to install the old scoreboards at Sunshine Park. Ms. Hauck-Martin is not sure because the electrical is located by the middle field on the opposite side of the trail from the field. She thought that would be the biggest cost. Mr. Haas is not sure if they have the service there to run this. Commissioner Miskowiec stated they need to get some firm numbers on this because he did not want to approve something they are not sure on cost. Ms. Hauck-Martin stated the cost changed today and if they do not do the repaint the cost will be significantly less. Chair Stenzel agreed and stated he would like to get some costs on the electrical. Ms. Hauck-Martin wondered if they could agree to just accept the new scoreboards and table the moving of the existing ones. The Commission indicated they could approve the new scoreboards. Motion by Miskowiec, seconded by Lewnau, to approve resolution accepting the contribution made by the Andover Football Association for new scoreboards at Prairie Knoll Park to the City of Andover. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, 0-nays, 1-absent (Elstrom) vote. CHAIR’S REPORT Commissioner Butler wanted to thank the Andover Football Association for their donation and continued support of their park facilities. He also thanked the residents that Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – April 16, 2015 Page 7 came to the meeting from the Kelsey Round Lake Park area and hoped they stayed engaged in the project. Commissioner Lindahl wanted to remind the residents that the parks and trails are busy with the nice weather and to drive safe. Chair Stenzel asked if staff could get the workout equipment at Andover Lions Park turned around so it is facing the playground and not the parking lot. Mr. Haas stated he would see what can be done. ADJOURNMENT OF REGULAR MEETING Motion by Commissioner Lindahl, seconded by Commissioner Lewnau, to adjourn the regular meeting at 7:54 p.m. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, 0-nays, 1-absent (Elstrom) vote. The Workshop Meeting of the Andover Park and Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Stenzel on April 16, 2015, 7:55 p.m. at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Commissioners Present: Vice Chair Jim Lindahl, Commissioners Ted Butler, Alisa Lewnau, Angela Marinello, and Mark Miskowiec Commissioners Absent: Commissioner Sarah Elstrom Also Present: Assistant Public Works Director, Todd Haas DISCUSS THE 2016-2020 PARK CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, CONT. Commissioner Marinello stated she talked to Mayor Trude about the little libraries in the parks and she wondered if the Commission thought this was a good idea. Commissioner Butler thought this was a great idea and would like to see it in other parks but he thought there needed to be some engagement from the neighborhood to make sure they are kept up and not vandalized. Commissioner Marinello stated she could write an article for the newsletter regarding this and see what residents think. Mr. Haas indicated there is a little library in Sophie’s Park and the residents in that area use it and like it. Commissioner Lewnau stated they should move forward with irrigating more of the parks that do not have it so teams can use the additional parks for their practices. She thought they should check with the different associations to see where they could use parks for practices. Commissioner Miskowiec asked what the price difference would be between irrigating a field with city water versus punching in a well. Mr. Haas stated a well would cost more to do. Commissioner Miskowiec understood the initial cost would be more but he Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – April 16, 2015 Page 8 wondered what the overall year after year cost would be. Mr. Haas stated they would be looking at $15,000 to $20,000 to hook up to municipal water. Commissioner Miskowiec wondered who would pay for the cost of the water. Mr. Haas indicated he is not sure and would need to look into that. Commissioner Lindahl stated it would be interesting to find out what the cost per season per field would be. Commissioner Lindahl indicated he went to Timber Trails Park and the ball fields can accommodate up to a 250-foot fence, which will accommodate 12 to 13 year old kids. He thought by upgrading the fields the new playground already in place would get more use from kids. He thought they should include this park in the CIP for a new well along with irrigation because they have two fields available right now to be used by the associations. The existing parking lot appears to be large enough already if both fields are being used at the same time. He stated all they have left to do is to reseed the fields and water them. Commissioner Butler indicated they need to finish off parks like paving the parking lots, installing wells and getting fields irrigated where they can and then discuss with the different associations about donating money for buildings. He thought this would help the parks maintenance staff also and the buildings could store equipment. There has been some discussion about installing a building up at Hawk Ridge Park, which could serve two roles. One would be to store equipment and the other use would be as a warming house. There has also been discussion about extending the Prairie Knoll Park building to accommodate a larger warming house and remodel it to make the restrooms more accessible from the outside. Commissioner Lindahl asked if the warming house on the City Hall Campus could be used for meeting space in the summer months to make use of it. Mr. Haas indicated it could but there are no restrooms there and they do not keep a portable there during the summer. Sunshine Park building could be used for meetings because it does have restrooms available. Chair Stenzel indicated every park needs to be touched with some improvement and a lot of the parks are at sixty percent completion but every park needs something in order to get one hundred percent done. He stated he would like to see the Commission members put together, depending on how they want to fund the improvements, the needs of the different parks. He would like to put a package together to have ready for the upcoming joint City Council/Park and Recreation Commission meeting (no date has been established as of yet). Mr. Haas discussed possible dates with the Commission on the joint meeting. Chair Stenzel stated there are a lot parks to look at before the joint meeting and he would like to divide them up between Commissioners, if possible, in order to cover more parks. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – April 16, 2015 Page 9 Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Miskowiec to schedule a Special Park Commission Workshop meeting for April 27, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, 0-nays, 1- absent (Elstrom) vote. The Commissioners discussed the parks they would review. Commissioner Lindahl indicated he would look at Area A of the parks map. Commissioner Butler stated he would take Area C. Commissioner Miskowiec indicated he would take Areas C or D. Commissioners Marinello and Lewnau would look at Area B. Chair Stenzel stated he would look at Areas A and B and thought Commissioner Elstrom will take Area C as well. Commissioner Butler stated the Commissioners can look at any park they want and come back with comments but they should commit to the areas they picked first. CONSIDER AMENDMENTS / APPLICATION FOR SCHEDULED USE OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES Mr. Haas explained that this item is in regard to the scheduled use of the recreational facilities. Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Butler, to adopt the Application for Scheduled use of Recreational Facilities. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, 0-nays, 1-absent (Elstrom) vote. ADJOURNMENT OF WORKSHOP MEETING Motion by Butler, seconded by Lewnau, to adjourn the workshop meeting at 8:25 p.m. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, 0-nays, 1-absent (Elstrom) vote. Respectfully Submitted, Sue Osbeck, Recording Secretary TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.