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, October 22, 2013 7:00 PM Council Chambers 1. Call To Order Chair Bird called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m 2. Roll Call Staff Present: Nate Monahan, Program Supervisor; Jerome Krieger, Program Supervisor; Bob Therres, Public Services Manager. Guest: Blaine Police CSO Supervisor Joy Zuehlke. Present: 7 - Markle, Chair Bird, Das, Leathers, Langenfeld, Lester, and Pribbernow 3. Approval of Minutes 3.-1 MIN 13-25 APPROVAL OF THE SEPTEMBER 24, 2013 PARK BOARD MINUTES Sponsors: Monahan Attachments: September2013Minutes.doc Commissioner Das requested the following corrections: Page 3, Paragraph 4, second sentence should read: Chair Bird responded by law and City Charter, they could raise Park Dedication Fees no more than ten percent on any given year. Page 5, Paragraph 2, second sentence should read: 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. City of Blaine Page 1 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final October 22, 2013 Commissioner Pribbernow requested the following corrections: Page 3, Paragraph 3, second sentence should read: Commissioner Markle responded he did not have a strong opinion, but the commercial was higher. Page 4, Paragraph 3, third sentence should read: He stated in the past we never had an issue with funding… Commissioner Lester requested the following correction: Page 1, under Approval of Minutes, first sentence should read: Commissioner Leathers requested… Moved by Leathers, seconded by Das, that this Minutes be Approved. The Motion was adopted unanimously. 4. Open Forum for Citizen Input None. 5. New Business 5.-1 PB 13-07 Recommendation of 2014-2018 Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan for Park Development Funds Sponsors: Monahan Program Supervisor Monahan presented a background and summary of the 2014-2018 Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan for Park Development Funds. He noted the Capital Improvement Plan was a flexible plan based upon long-range physical planning and financial projections. Flexibility was achieved through annual review and revisions as necessary. He stated all improvements listed in the plan were proposed and must come back to the Park Board for review and recommendation to the City Council. The City Council then makes all final decisions on capital improvements. He stated revenue for the capital improvement plan came from park dedication fees required of all new residential ($2,813), commercial ($7,747) and industrial ($5,166) development. The residential fee was split with 65% of the fee going to parks and 35% of the fee going to open space. One hundred percent (100%) of the commercial and City of Blaine Page 2 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final October 22, 2013 industrial fees go to parks. He indicated the Park Board had proposed for 2014 a 10% increase for residential $3,094, a 7% increase for Commercial $8,289, and a 7% increase for Industrial $5,528. He stated the City Council had shown interest in switching the residential fee split that currently was 65% to parks and 35% to open space. This would increase the amount of Park Dedication Fee Revenue coming into the CIP, and it would decrease the amount of internal borrowing the Park Fund would have to use the pay for Lexington Athletic Complex. He noted the revenue from park dedication fees could only be used for development of new parks and trails, for new improvements to community parks used by all residents and for improvements to neighborhood parks that serve new growth. He indicated it could not be used for park maintenance. Chair Bird asked in the projections for the park dedication fees in 2014-2015 where they reflecting any of the projects anticipated coming in 2013. Program Supervisor Monahan responded that was projection came from projects that were coming in. He noted this was a conservative number. Chair Bird asked for specific information regarding the new projects (i.e. Jim Peterson hockey rink, rink lights, and park building) that were not in the previous CIP. Program Supervisor Monahan responded those projects were in a previous CIP, but had been put on hold and now were placed back in the CIP. Commissioner Markle inquired about the effect of going from the current 35% to the open space to as little as 10%. Program Supervisor Monahan responded staff had looked at the open space fund, which showed a healthy balance. He indicated at this time the City was not looking to acquire any open space. Commissioner Markle asked if the Open Space committee had seen these figures. Program Supervisor Monahan responded only Mr. Haffner had seen the figures at this time. Commissioner Markle stated he saw as they raised the percentage that went to the Parks CIP, the repayments went down to internal borrowing and that was where they were seeing the balance remain healthy. Program Supervisor Monahan responded that was correct. City of Blaine Page 3 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final October 22, 2013 Commissioner Markle asked if the Lexington Athletic Complex numbers were similar to what they had seen previously. Program Supervisor Monahan responded the numbers were similar and were stable at this point. Chair Bird asked in 2015 on the $350,000 payment for Lexington Athletic Complex what was that for. Program Supervisor Krieger responded that was for any leftover things they had to do at the end (sodding, seeding, etc.). Chair Bird asked if any amenities had been removed from the CIP. Program Supervisor Krieger responded at this point no amenities had been removed. Commissioner Leathers noted there was a lot of data with a lot of moving parts. He stated he was not comfortable addressing the moving of funds and he wanted to focus on expenditures. He inquired about Aurelia Park. Program Supervisor Monahan responded that amount had been approved by Council. Commissioner Leathers asked if they were done with security lights. Program Supervisor Monahan responded at this time, they felt confident with the lighting they had. Commissioner Leathers asked if the remainder of the proposed parks timelines were realistic. Program Supervisor Monahan responded they were. Commissioner Leathers asked if it was possible to get a park in prior to development. Program Supervisor Monahan responded in the past the City had waited until development came in. Commissioner Leathers requested the Board consider the park west of Harpers is moved up to 2014. Commissioner Leathers inquired about the park W of Lexington, N of Main. He asked if this was a new park proposal. Program Supervisor Monahan responded this was a new park that would most likely happen. He noted the proposed park S of 113th Avenue they were still looking at. Commissioner Leathers stated there was a fairly good building climate now into 2014. Program Supervisor Monahan responded that was correct and the Planning Development Director was confident that what was coming in with respect to plats and that everything was moving forward. City of Blaine Page 4 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final October 22, 2013 Public Services Manager Therres stated the bidding climate was changing with many bids coming in and the prices were starting to climb. Chair Bird asked if the $330,000 for Aquatore Park was a confident number. Program Supervisor Krieger responded that was still a floating number at this point, but they hoped to get a confident number soon. He stated they anticipated this would go to bid by February 1. Chair Bird asked if they were looking at a substantial park east of Lexington Avenue. Program Supervisor Monahan responded the amount in the CIP included acquiring the land, which was a typical number for acquiring a neighborhood park. Commissioner Leathers asked if they would be looking for at the same number for S of 113th Avenue and W of Lexington, N of Main parks also. Program Supervisor Monahan responded that was correct. Commissioner Markle asked with respect to W of Harpers was there enough building now that the park would be used. Park Supervisor Monahan responded they anticipate if there were families already there, the park would get used, but at this time, there was not sufficient development for park usage. Commissioner Markle stated he liked the idea of moving W of Harpers up and this could be revisited in 2014 and if necessary, move it back if development was slow. He believed this would help sell the new homes better if the park was being developed or was developed by the time the residents moved in. Commissioner Lester asked when the Council looked at the split, would the Park Board look at this again. Program Supervisor Monahan responded the Board could make a recommendation, but it was the Council’s decision. However, the Board could revisit the numbers at any time. Commissioner Lester stated on the park dedication fees where did the $310,000 add back figure come from. Program Supervisor Monahan responded he was not sure and he would need to ask the Finance Director how he came up with the formula. Public Services Manager Therres stated he believed what Commissioner Lester was referring to might be the commercial/industrial estimates, but staff would check into this. City of Blaine Page 5 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final October 22, 2013 Commissioner Lester asked if this included the proposal for increasing fees. Program Supervisor Monahan responded it did not and this would be addressed in November or December. Commissioner Langenfeld asked for further explanation on the future park dedication fee figures. Program Supervisor Monahan explained the how they came up with the future park dedication fees. Motion by Commissioner Leathers to recommend to the City Council to adopt the 2014 to 2018 Capital Improvement Plan for Park Development Funds with the adjustment that the Park West of Harpers is pushed forward to 2014. Commissioner Langenfeld asked if they should just leave the split and recommend no change. Commissioner Leathers responded he was comfortable leaving it and it was up to the Council to deal with what was the best for the City. Chair Bird stated he would give some consideration to making some recommendation as the Council was looking for some input, even if they did not accept the recommendation. He stated he was comfortable with the 75/25 split with the understanding it could be adjusted in the future. He asked if this would be acceptable as an amendment to the motion. Commissioner Markle stated he believes some adjustment to the split made sense knowing this could be revisited in the future. He stated it appeared to be a wise way to be flexible with what was going on in the City. He indicated he supported making a recommendation that the Council look at adjusting it at least on a temporary basis. He stated he was not a fan of the 90/10 split as that was an extreme move and if they found next year that they needed to do more movement, they could revisit this in the future. Commissioner Leathers believed this should be two different motions. Chair Bird stated if they were going to approve the CIP and not looking at the split, then they were not going to have the correct funding balance. Commissioner Leathers suggested they make a motion to change the City Code. Motion seconded by Commissioner Markle. Motion passed unanimously. Motion by Commissioner Markle to recommend to the City Council to consider City of Blaine Page 6 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final October 22, 2013 the 75/25 split option as presented. Commissioner Leathers stated they would need to pay attention down the road to make sure they were carrying a healthy reserve. Motion seconded by Commissioner Das. Motion passed unanimously. 5.-2 PB 13-08 Recommendaton to Amend Dog Ordinance 14-141 - All dogs will be kept under restraint by their owners at all tmes Sponsors: Monahan Attachments: PoliceReports.pdf Program Supervisor Monahan stated staff had been approached by the Police Department about issues with unleashed dogs in the parks. It was recommended to amend the City Ordinance 14-141 to: All dogs, while on designated Blaine City Park Land or Open Space, will be kept controlled by a capable person on a leash or tether no longer than eight feet in length. CSO Supervisor Zuehlke stated they had received numerous complaints about dogs not being on leashes. She stated the current ordinance in the animal chapter said dogs needed to be under restraint which included being off leash as long as the dog was under command of the person. She recommended the ordinance be changed so dogs were required to be on a leash. She indicated everyone had the right to enjoy the park without being approached by a dog. Commissioner Lester asked if the dog was wearing a shock collar would that comply with the proposal. He noted many people trained their dogs in the parks. He asked if a leash or tether would take away this training ability. CSO Supervisor Zuehlke responded the ordinance could add electronic devices. Chair Bird asked if this was a City ordinance or where they looking at a Park ordinance, or both. CSO Supervisor Zuehlke stated the City had an animal ordinance where it said dogs would be kept under restraint at all times, which was an issue as it was vague. She stated this would add an ordinance to a park chapter, and it would not depend on the City ordinance. Chair Bird stated this was something they needed to address. He suggested a draft of an Ordinance be drafted and present at the next meeting. He noted however, this would open the issue of having a dog park. Commissioner Pribbernow asked why where they recommending eight City of Blaine Page 7 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final October 22, 2013 feet leash. CSO Supervisor Zuehlke stated most retractable leashes were 6 or 8 feet. She recommended a length be put on this so people did not try to get by the ordinance by having an extremely long leash. Commissioner Pribbernow asked what the punishment was by not following the ordinance. CSO Supervisor Zuehlke responded citations would be issued and someone could be fined. Commissioner Markle stated he was concerned that they already had a City ordinance addressing controlling of dogs and most of the incidents in the report were by people not following the ordinance, but in the majority of the incidents where there were violations were dealt with as a warning. He asked how was having a leash only provision help the enforcement if they did not enforce what was already there. He stated if there were multiple incidents with the same owner, citations should be issued which they had the power to do now. He asked how the proposed wording would help. CSO Supervisor Zuehlke stated the ordinance was not clear as to what immediately obedient meant and the Ordinance was vague. She stated it made it extremely difficult to write a citation with a vague Ordinance. Commissioner Markle stated he was having difficulty having a different ordinance in the parks than what was in the street. He stated if the City Ordinance was not strict enough then maybe that Ordinance should be amended. He indicated he was not in favor of having a different Ordinance for the parks if the ordinance was not City wide. CSO Supervisor Zuehlke stated several surrounding Cities did have separate Ordinances for the parks. She noted the City could be held liable if someone was bit by a dog. She stated this was a very difficult Ordinance to enforce. Chair Bird recommended moving forward to the next meeting a draft of an Ordinance along with providing the Commission with copies of surrounding City Ordinances. He asked if there had been any discussion about changing the City Ordinance. CSO Supervisor Zuehlke stated the Police Chief was going to go to the City Council with a recommended change to the City Ordinance. Commissioner Leathers asked for some opinion about the City being held liable also if someone was bit by a dog while in a City park. Commissioner Lester asked for additional complaints that had been filed. City of Blaine Page 8 Park Advisory Board Minutes - Final October 22, 2013 Commissioner Leathers asked for information about the Cities who did not have an Ordinance as well. Discussed 5.-3 PB 13-09 PARK UPDATES Sponsors: Monahan Program Supervisor Monahan presented the update on Aurelia Park. Program Supervisor Krieger presented the update on Lexington Athletic Complex. He stated the basketball court would be moved to the north side of the property to accommodate additional parking spots. Program Supervisor Krieger presented the update on Aquatore Park. He stated they were estimating this would go out for proposal in February. Informational: no action required 5.-4 PB 13-10 LONDON PARK FEATURE Sponsors: Monahan Attachments: London Park.pdf Program Supervisor Monahan presented summary of London Park. Commissioner Leathers inquired about Ash Bore in the City. Public Services Manager Therres stated the City had a program to cut down damaged or weak Ash trees in the City and replaced, but it was his understanding no Ash Bore had been found in the City yet. He stated they were trying to be aggressive in getting a more diversified tree population. Informational: no action required 9. Adjournment Commissioner Das motioned to adjourn. Commissioner Lester seconded the motion. Motion approved unanimously. Chair Bird adjourned the meeting at 8:28 p.m. City of Blaine Page 9