Park Advisory Board

10801 Town Square Dr. City of Blaine Blaine MN 55449 Anoka County, Minnesota Minutes - Final Park Advisory Board The Park Board is an advisory body to the City Council. One of the Board’s functions is to hold public meetings and make recommendations to the City Council. For each item, the Board will receive reports prepared by City staff, provide the opportunity for public response, conduct Board discussions and make recommendations. The City Council, however, makes all final decisions on these matters. Tuesday, September 24, 2013 7:00 PM Council Chambers 1. Call To Order The Blaine Park Advisory Board met in the Council Chambers of City Hall on Tuesday, September 24, 2013. Chair Bird called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call Staff Present: Nate Monahan, Program Supervisor. Present: 5 - Markle, Chair Bird, Leathers, Lester, and Pribbernow Absent: 2 - Das, and Langenfeld 3. Approval of Minutes 3.-1 MIN 13-22 APPROVAL OF AUGUST 27, 2013 PARK BOARD MINUTES Sponsors: Monahan Attachments: August2013Minutes.doc Commissioner Leathers requested the following corrections: Page 2, first paragraph, first sentence to read: Program Supervisor Krieger stated the Ward 2 Park Board Member vacancy has been filled by Christine Pribbernow who will be at the September meeting. Page 2, first paragraph, second sentence to read: Chair Bird welcomed the new Commissioner. Page 2, second paragraph, fifth sentence to read: The part-time City of Blaine Page 1 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final September 24, 2013 recreational staff costs had increased… Page 2, fifth paragraph, first sentence to read: Program Supervisor Monahan reported on the progress of Legacy Creek Park and stated … Page 2, sixth paragraph, second sentence to read: He asked if they would have curb and parking before winter. Page 3, fifth paragraph, first sentence to read: Chair Bird asked how many… Moved by Markle, seconded by Lester, that the Minutes be Approved as Amended. The Motion was adopted unanimously. 4. Open Forum for Citizen Input None. 5.-1 PB 13-01 Staff Report On Summer Recreation ProgramS Sponsors: Monahan Program Supervisor Monahan presented a background and summary of the 2013 summer recreation programs and events. Commissioner Leathers thanked staff for all they did. He noted the City had impacted 4,100 kids. He asked if the City could increase the community gardens space in the future. Program Supervisor Monahan responded staff would take a look at adding additional space for the community garden. Chair Bird stated since he first started on the Board, the programs have more than doubled. He thanked staff for keeping the beach open past Labor Day. Informational: no action required 5. New Business 5.-2 PB 13-02 Recommendation for Establishing 2014 Park Dedication Fees for the City of Blaine Sponsors: Monahan Attachments: 2013 Comparative Park Dedication Fees.pdf City of Blaine Page 2 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final September 24, 2013 Program Supervisor Monahan presented a summary of the recommendation for establishing 2014 Park Dedication Fees for the City. He stated revenue for the capital improvement plan came from park dedication fees required of all new residential, commercial, and industrial development. He noted park dedication fees were adjusted annually by the percentage of increase in the fair market value of undeveloped land within the City with an annual increase not to exceed 10 percent. He indicated the Park Board recommended and the City Council approved a 10 percent residential, 5 percent commercial, and 3 percent industrial increase for 2013 park dedication fees. He stated staff was recommending the Park Board consider another increase in park dedication fees for 2014 based on the fact that the City still ranked 12th out of 14 in residential fees for metro cities. He indicated residential park dedication fees had been near the bottom since surveys had been conducted by the Parks and Recreation staff. He noted Blaine was ranked in the middle of the cities for commercial fees. He stated the Planning Department estimated a continued increase in new housing permits and new land development. He stated future parks, open space and trail development should keep pace with this growth through measured annual increases in park dedication fees. He asked if the City should establish residential, commercial, and industrial park dedication fees for 2014 that were the same, more, or less than park dedication fees than 2013. Commissioner Markle stated they have had this conversation for many years and had the same points brought up. He noted they were fairly low when compared to other cities, which he believed allowed them room for an increase. He indicated they had established in the past that by increasing park fees this did not have a significant effect on the decision making process with builders, so if they went up a couple of positions or several percentages, it probably would not have a negative impact on the building in the City. He believed they should look at a minimum of 6 percent and a maximum of 10 percent, which was what they had done last year. Chair Bird asked if he would like to see identical percentages whether it was residential or commercial, a flat increase, or different percentages. Commissioner Markle responded he did not have a strong opinion, but the commercial was higher. He stated he would entertain any of the options. Commissioner Lester asked staff why 10 percent. Chair Bird City of Blaine Page 3 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final September 24, 2013 responded by law and the City Charter, they could raise Park Dedication Fees more than ten percent on any given year. Program Supervisor Monahan stated based on the other City comparisons he believed the City would at least be in the middle. He noted to maintain and provide the amenities for the residents; they needed to continue to have money coming in. Chair Bird noted generally this was the single source of funding and once the construction and new builds in the City becomes built out, the funding source was done, unless there was another funding source available in the future. He stated the Commission was very concerned about having sufficient funds into the future. He noted the past few years they have had very tight funds and this was an opportunity to replenish the funds. He noted this was funding that was put on the developers for new developments only. Commissioner Lester asked if these numbers on the CIP had any projections for an increase. Program Supervisor Monahan responded not at this time. Commissioner Lester noted the City was projected to grow by 8,000 people and he had a difficult time increasing these fees. He noted realistically, the fees would flow through the developer to the new buyer of the home. He indicated he wanted some justification for the increase. Commissioner Markle stated last year there was an increase, but the three previous years there were no increases due to the recession. He agreed they did not want to be raising fees when the opportunity arose not to, but this was an important funding source and they needed to stay consistent with other cities. He stated they had to protect future income also as this would impact funding for many years to come. Commissioner Leathers believed the Board had always been extremely conservative with the use of the funds and they had done so with the end user in mind knowing the buyer would absorb the cost of the increase. He stated it was important the park funds model the increase in home values also. He stated for three years they had held increasing fees, even though there were modest increases in home values. He indicated right now they were seeing a 17 percent increase in home values and he believed the data supported a park dedication fee increase of 10 percent. He believed they were justified with a 10 percent increase at this time on the residential side. For commercial/industrial properties, he did not have an opinion. City of Blaine Page 4 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final September 24, 2013 Chair Bird stated he typically would shy away from the larger numbers until he saw the housing numbers drop out a few years ago. He noted we had to be very creative as to how they funded things the past few years. He stated in the past they never had an issue with funding and he was not a fan of borrowing funds to buy things if they could not afford it. He stated this was an opportunity to put additional income into the fund. He stated if they looked at the third year out balance on the CIP, it was not a good number. He stated there was no guarantee the housing market would not bottom out again. He agreed a 10 percent increase for residential was appropriate with a no increase in commercial and industrial. Commissioner Leathers stated he was trying to come up with justification one way or another for commercial and industrial properties. He stated while commercial and industrial properties were not overall significant to the development revenues and the increase on a per acre basis was minimal. However, he noted it was not fair to place the entire burden on the residential properties either. Chair Bird noted the City has had a history of fairly large commercial and industrial properties that had come in and dramatically affected the CIP budget including the Walmart and Lowes on Highway 65. He believed some type of an increase would not have a negative impact. Commissioner Pribbernow asked what the increases were last year. Chair Bird summarized the increases for her. Motion by Commissioner Markle to recommend the City Council establish park dedication fees for 2014 with an increase of 10% for residential/unit, 8% for commercial/acre land, and 8% for industrial/acre. Motion seconded by Commissioner Leathers. Commissioner Leathers asked what percentage of the City was left to be developed. Program Supervisor Monahan responded about 75 percent of the City had been developed for residential, but he did not have the information for the commercial or industrial land. Commissioner Leathers stated he could support the numbers in terms of comparison to other Cities in the area. Commissioner Lester stated all he saw was that this was going to be a cost passed through to the resident or consumer. If they were going to raise residential 10 percent, this would put the City up two spots. He would like to see commercial/industrial stay the same and by recommending an 8 percent increase, this would move the City up quite a bit on the chart. He stated he could support the movement on City of Blaine Page 5 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final September 24, 2013 the residential, but believed the commercial/industrial should stay as it was. Chair Bird asked if he could entertain a five percent increase in commercial/industrial, which would still put the City in the same spot, and yet there would be still some source of revenue coming in. He noted however if there was no increase for commercial/industrial, this would impact the Commission’s ability to continue to fund and maintain the parks, and the amenities the residents had come to expect. He believed they needed to raise the commercial/industrial fees. Commissioner Lester asked how many parks were projected to be built. Program Supervisor Monahan responded there were four parks projected to be built after the Lexington Complex was done. He noted after the parks were built the funds would be used for additional amenities. Commissioner Leathers asked if these would be four significant community parks or mini parks. Program Supervisor Monahan responded they would be neighborhood or mini parks. Commissioner Leather stated those figures were based on the known developments that were coming in, but there was 25 percent of the City still to be developed and he found it hard to believe that four additional parks would service all of those new residents. He stated he would like to see the Commissioners do something significant with fees. He stated he liked the Chairman’s recommendation to move the commercial/industrial by 7 or 8 percent. He understood these costs would be passed onto the consumer. He stated future residents should be provided the same type of parks and services. He recommended they look at a seven percent increase on the commercial/industrial property and 10 percent on the residential property. Commissioner Lester asked how many parks the City had. Program Supervisor Monahan responded they currently had 63 and when Lexington Complex was completed, it would be 64. He stated Blaine probably had more parks than most cities, but the City was comparable in acreage to other cities. He noted Lexington Complex once built would also be a neighborhood park for the residents east of Lexington. Commissioner Leathers cautioned the Commissioners to not solely base their decisions on comparisons to other cities. He indicated they needed to focus on the vision and not the comparison. He stated however, the City was still comparable with other cities. City of Blaine Page 6 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final September 24, 2013 Chair Bird stated the comparison to him was commercial/industrial and not residential. He noted good, strong commercial/industrial brought in good residential. Commissioner Markle withdrew his motion. Commissioner Leathers withdrew his second. Motion by Commissioner Markle to recommend the City Council establish park dedication fees for 2014 with an increase of 10% for residential/unit, 7% for commercial/acre land, and 7% for industrial/acre. Motion seconded by Commissioner Leathers. Motion approved unanimously. 5.-3 PB 13-03 Recommendation for Replacement Playground Equipment at Little Bit Park Sponsors: Monahan Attachments: LittleBitPlayground.jpg Current Playground.pdf Program Supervisor Monahan presented a summary of the recommendation for replacement playground equipment at Little Bit Park. He noted providing replacement playground equipment at Little Bit Park was approved by the City Council with funds used from the 2013 Capital Fund. He indicated Little Bit Park playground was the oldest park in the system with the equipment being 15 years old. He stated recently the slide was removed due to unsafe conditions and replacement parts were no longer available from the manufacturer for the remaining equipment. He stated staff exercised the purchasing practice of U.S. Communities Government Alliance and chose the playground equipment line manufactured by Game Time and supplied by Minnesota/Wisconsin Playground. Staff was able to get a play structure that was on a 2013 close out deal. He noted the improvement would also include a swing set, playcurb, freestanding pieces, and fiber. The budgeted amount for this playground equipment was not to exceed $30,000 and included equipment, installation and associated costs. If recommended and approved by City Council, playground installation would be completed by November 15, 2013. Commissioner Markle asked if this was an item moved in the CIP. Program Supervisor Monahan noted this was not in the CIP. He indicated Public Works had noted there was a safety issue and there were no longer parts for the equipment. Commissioner Markle asked if a 15-year-old age was consistent when they were looking at replacement. Program Supervisor Monahan City of Blaine Page 7 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final September 24, 2013 responded that was correct. Chair Bird stated in the past he has seen the City use non-CIP funds. Motion by Chair Bird to recommend to the City Council to recommend the City Council accept the new replacement playground equipment plan for Little Bit Park proposed by Minnesota/Wisconsin Playground at a cost not to exceed $30,000. Motion seconded by Commissioner Lester. Motion approved unanimously. 5.-4 PB 13-04 PARK UPDATES Sponsors: Monahan Recommendation Aurelia Park Replacement of Tennis and Basketball Courts Program Supervisor Monahan presented a background and summary of Aurelia Park stating bids were advertised and due September 19, 2013 for the construction of Fenced Tennis Courts and 1 Full Basketball Court at Aurelia Park. The Bids had been reviewed and the low bid was Barber Construction Inc. at $62,491.70, which came in over the $45,000 budget. He indicated staff believed they had a good bidding climate and received a good price for the construction. He noted construction would start this fall and be completed by June 15, 2014. He asked if the Commissioners wanted to approve the bid or hold another neighborhood meeting with the residents giving options to replace only the tennis court at an estimated cost of $35,000, or replace only the basketball court with a cost estimate of $25,000, or no replacement and leave the area as an open play area. Chair Bird asked if staff have looked at using City staff to do a portion of the project to save costs rather than bid the entire project out. Program Supervisor Monahan responded they had looked at this option, but park maintenance said they did not have the staff time to do this and they believed it should be bid out. Commissioner Lester asked if the range of bids was a normal swing. Program Supervisor Monahan responded that range was not unusual. He indicated it depended on who the subcontractors were. Commissioner Lester asked if they had used Barber Construction in the past. Program Supervisor Monahan responded they had not. City of Blaine Page 8 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final September 24, 2013 Commissioner Leathers stated he was not comfortable with the bid. He noted they budgeted a certain amount and he believed the project needed to be sized to the budget. He was not comfortable with a cost overrun of 35 percent of the project and still trying to balance the CIP budget. He encouraged the Commissioner to either hold this over for another meeting to discuss this further next month when they looked at the CIP or reject the bids and rebid this out with only one tennis court. Commissioner Pribbernow asked if the courts were lighted. Program Supervisor Monahan responded they were not. Chair Bird agreed with Commissioner Leathers that they had a certain amount budgeted, but they had also made a commitment to the neighborhood and he believed the neighborhood should be reengaged and have another neighborhood meeting where the neighborhood could vote on one amenity over another amenity. He asked City staff to contact the neighborhood to see what amenity the neighborhood wanted or if they wanted to wait a year and see if both amenities could be added in the future. Commissioner Leathers asked if this could be tabled for a month. Program Supervisor Monahan responded this could be delayed and staff would send out a letter to the residents for their input. Commissioner Markle asked if they would have to rebid the bids if they chose a different format for the park. Program Supervisor Monahan responded if they did a portion of the project, he believed they were okay because the low bidder would not change, but he would double check this. Chair Bird stated if this was bid as one project, he believed it would need to be rebid. Program Monahan responded he would check into this. He recommended the neighborhood meeting be held separate from the Board meeting next month due to the CIP discussion next month. Commissioner Leathers agreed the neighborhood meeting should be held in a workshop style and not at a Board meeting. Chair Bird noted this item was tabled. Program Supervisor Monahan stated for Lakeside Commons 1.5 acre overflow parking lot they were finalizing the paperwork. City of Blaine Page 9 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final September 24, 2013 He stated for Aquatore Park field 1 relocation all of the paperwork had been submitted to the Coon Creek Watershed District. Staff hoped to move forward soon. Chair Bird asked if the Watershed District had indicated when they would make a decision. Program Supervisor Monahan responded they had not. Program Supervisor Monahan stated for Lexington Athletic Complex they were in the final phases of the concept plan and he anticipated there would be a more detailed update next month. 5.-5 PB 13-05 Centennial Park Feature Sponsors: Monahan Attachments: Centennial Park.pdf Program Supervisor Monahan presented a summary of Centennial Park’s features. 5.-6 PB 13-06 OTHER Sponsors: Monahan Program Supervisor Monahan stated they were looking for one or two Parks Board members to commit to being on the Community Center Task Force. Commissioners Lester and Markle stated they were interested. Program Supervisor Monahan updated the Board on the Sixth Annual World Fest held last week. Chair Bird noted he had received one complaint from a person in attendance that the music was too loud. Program Supervisor Monahan responded he would make a note of this for next year’s event. Commissioner Pribbernow noted she had attended the Festival and recommended additional picnic tables be brought in for it next year also to allow for additional seating. 6. Adjournment Commissioner Pribbernow motioned to adjourn. Commissioner Lester seconded the motion. Motion approved unanimously. City of Blaine Page 10 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final September 24, 2013 Chair Bird adjourned the meeting at 8:32 p.m. City of Blaine Page 11