Parks and Recreation Board

MAPLE GROVE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 18, 2021 Government Center 7:00 p.m. Regular Meeting The Regular Meeting was called to order by Chair, Bill Lewis at 7:02 p.m. Board Members Present in the Chambers were Chair Bill Lewis, Vice Chair Present John Ferm, Board Members Ken Helvey, Deb Syhre Kelly Cunningham and Andy Mielke. Board Members Board Members absent was: Board Members Debbie Coss. Absent Also Present Also present in the Chambers were: Chuck Stifter, Director; Ben Jaszewski, Parks and Planning Superintendent; Aimee Peterson, Superintendent of Recreation; Lisa Jost, Community Center Manager; Jan Clark, Recording Secretary, Steve Eckes and Matt Kellogg from Cross Community Players and two guests. Council Representative Leith attended remotely. Approval of Agenda Chair Lewis called for changes to the agenda. The Director replied there are two additions to Consent, items J and K. Motion made by Vice Chair Ferm, seconded by Board Member Syhre to approve the agenda for the November 18, 2021 meeting as amended. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were six ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Public Comment No requests were received. Special Business – Lisa Jost, Community Center Manager introduced Steve Eckes, Cross Community board president and Matt Kellogg, member of the board of directors from Cross Community Players (CCP) who had Players Presentation requested to speak to the Park Board regarding their organization’s mission and operation. Mr. Eckes gave a brief Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 2 history of Cross Community Players, noting one of their goals is to build and maintain relationships. Mr. Eckes stated their 2021 performance was held outdoors at Town Green and that worked so well for them, he is hoping to use that location again for the 2022 performances. He noted they are hoping to get the rental fees waived for the tech rehearsals which would bring their budget back in line with what the school district would charge for an indoor auditorium and would also be a better venue for COVID protocols. Chair Lewis noted the fee waiver request is on the agenda under consent items. Vice Chair Ferm asked how many shows does CCP run for the season. Mr. Eckes replied 7. Chair Lewis thanked Mr. Eckes and Mr. Kellogg for their presentation. Miscellaneous Board Board Member Helvey noted that he attended the Arts and Member Reports Crafts Fair on Saturday and observed they had overwhelming attendance. Lisa Jost stated there were 60 vendors and the event had around 1,500 attendees. Board Member Cunningham stated she drove by the Trunk or Treat event and the families were lined up all the way to Cub Foods. She added kudos to staff who made the event so exciting for the kids. Miscellaneous Staff Director’s Report: Director Stifter updated the Board on the Reports joint work session that was held with City Council in regards to the Community Center renovation and expansion master planning work and an update on the communication strategy. He noted Rapp Strategies has been hired to align our message in communication with the public as we prepare for the local sales tax proposal. Director Stifter stated the strategy we’ve been developing is to communicate with the public the investment in the community center; our vision for the future, the needs, process, plan and benefits. He added the cost and tax impacts will also be shared along with financing alternatives if the vote isn’t approved, when and where to vote, and how to find out more information. The Director noted the work in progress includes a brand, a logo that utilizes our present recognizable colors and website Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 3 that will launch in January. He added that the full work session meeting materials can be found on the city web site. Director Stifter stated that last June, we had a tentative base program for the CC master plan that included acquiring Lifetime Fitness, a third sheet of ice, a curling center and a black box theater. He noted the feedback from city leadership was the cost was beyond our comfort level.. The concept design has since been modified to the base plan with the Lifetime Fitness space and a third sheet of ice. The Director added recent work by the design team to bring the budget cost down to a more reasonable amount included finding a way to reduce the cost of parking. The ultimate plan displayed 2 parking ramps at a cost of nearly 25 million. City code recommends about 1,400 parking slots to meet the needs of the new program, while the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) estimated the peak number of parking to run about 1,060. A parking analysis showed that by maximizing surface parks and using the library ramp, we can meet or even exceed the threshold defined by ITE without the need for expensive structured parking. The Director displayed how the financial strategy lays out with the local option sales tax, State bonding, partnership with OMGHA, Federal grants, land sale proceeds and other capital resources for a total of $116 million. Director Stifter added that they did recommend the Council consider a Task Force with representation from residents, elected and appointed officials, and stakeholder associations and neighborhoods as this project progresses. Director Stifter stated annually the Council recognizes staff for their continuing contribution as employees of the City of Maple Grove. He noted Erik Parmer, Lead Parkkeeper has been here 5 years, Brenda Krapfl, 55 Forward Assistant 20 years, he himself has been here 20 years, Troy Pepin, Lead Parkkeeper 25 years, Michelle DeBace, Program Specialist 25 years and Lisa Jost Community Center Manager 25 years. The Director noted that the Owners Team will be meeting on November 23 to discuss the Gleason Fields update and financial Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 4 strategies, and the community center and sports dome 2022 enterprise budget. Lastly, the Director recognized that Lisa Jost has announced her retirement as Community Center Manager with her last day being February 4, 2022. He added that Ms. Jost provided faithful service to everyone and anyone who has walked through the doors of the community center. He thanked her for her tireless commitment and unwavering support of patrons and customers who have visited us in our community center. Superintendent of Parks and Planning’s Report: Ben Jaszewski observed with Jan Clark and Lisa Jost both retiring, that totals over 60 years of experience and it will be tough to replace them. Mr. Jaszewski gave an update on current projects. He stated the playground at Boundary Creek east is now open and ready to go. He added that Scott Jonquil and Donahue South playgrounds are finishing up next week. Mr. Jaszewski noted Donahue South basketball court, trails, shade installation and converting the old playground container to volleyball will be finished up in the spring. Mr. Jaszewski noted Maple Grove Middle School lights are installed; a little bit of work remains with the electrical control box inside the building and then staff will be trained on the web-based controls for those lights. Ben Jaszewski, Parks and Planning Superintendent stated the Rice Lake Elementary playground is installed, but not open to the public due to continued construction at the school. He added the school addition project is predicted to be complete in January sometime. Mr. Jaszewski noted the Town Green pavement and cement replacement is substantially complete with a few minor details to be touched up. Superintendent of Recreation’s Report: Aimee Peterson displayed photos of the Trunk or Treat event. She noted staff is already working on additional entertainment and play activities for next year’s event. She added many businesses and organizations were represented and showed a photo of the Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 5 Rotary Club’s trunk design which won 1st place. She stated parents were especially appreciative of the community center coupons. Ms. Peterson stated the Senator Amy Klobuchar did speak at the Veterans Day ceremony which was held in the Phenow Pavilion which was a great host site. Ms. Peterson noted it was a very nice ceremony and thanked Board Members who attended. Ms. Peterson noted the winter recreation promotional guide will be in the mail next week. She added the digital copy went online today. Aimee Peterson, Recreation Superintendent stated the program registration landing page was updated to better match the look of the new city website and help people find information easier. She thanked Chalene Ward who pushed this initiative forward and created the new design. Ms. Peterson acknowledged the 55 Forward Supervisor’s Annual Report prepared by Liz Faust, noting she gave a great summary of all the wonderful things that they are doing to serve our seniors here in the Maple Grove community. Chair Lewis attested the annual report had a lot of fact and data statistics for such a rising need in our community to service. He thanked the 55 Forward staff for their creativity, but also keeping in place some of the programs that have meant a lot to people over the years. Community Center Manager’s Report: Lisa Jost, Community Center Manager displayed a chart of revenue performance of the last five months compared to same timeframe during the last five years. She stated that in 2021 the swimming pools, gymnasium and ice skating are all getting back to peak usage and had the 2nd and 3rd highest attendance in the last five years. She added the membership sale was also strong. Ms. Jost noted we are on the right track as far as bringing people back and did once hit capacity limits in the gym, and nearly in the pool. Lisa stated that staff has been challenged by disruptive activity in the building and we are looking at ways to manage the behavior so all patrons feel comfortable and enjoy their visit. As an example of increased security, Ms. Jost displayed a photo of the new metal gate that was installed at the pool concession Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 6 stand. Another security change was made at the gym check-in point to ensure patrons are purchasing wristbands prior to entering.. Board Member Mielke stated he is glad to hear about the security measures and having a law enforcement or security presence of some sort to curtail misbehaving, as those are the kind of things that are going to drive misbehavior away. Council Liaison’s Report: Council Member Leith stated he has been to a ton of Cross Community Players performances and they do a great job, noting the talent level is really amazing. He thanked Mr. Eckes and Mr. Kellogg for their presentation. Council Member Leith stated his appreciation to Lisa Jost, noting when the Lions have events at the Community Center, Ms. Jost is always there to lend support. Council Member Leith also thanked staff for all their work on set-up and getting ready for the Veterans Day ceremony. Council Member Leith stated that Maple Grove Transit was the recipient of the 2021 Management Innovation Award at the MN Public Transportation Conference for the mobility hub that was implemented at the transit center. In other Council news, Council Member Leith noted that recent liquor license compliance checks resulted in 10 failures this time. He stated that the BeeHive Homes of Maple Grove along Weaver Lake Road is expanding their facility. CONSENT BUSINESS Consent Business Chair Lewis reminded the Board that items J and K were added to consent items. Motion made by Board Member Helvey, seconded by Board Member Cunningham to approve the Consent Items as amended. A. Minutes – September 16, 2021 Regular Meting B. Approve Claims C. Part Time Employee Appointments D. 2021 Park Paving Project Chang Orders E. Community Resource Funds, Account Designation Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 7 F. Fee Waiver Request – Cross Community Players G. Special Use Permit – Charities Challenge H. Fee Waiver Request – American Red Cross I. Fee Waiver Request – Memorial Blood Center J. Recruitment Approval for Youth Outreach Assistant K. Recruitment Approval for Community Center Manager Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were six ayes and no nays. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS Old Business, Item A Ben Jaszewski, Superintendent of Parks and Planning stated this Consultant Proposal is a consultant proposal to conduct a design and community engagement process for a pickleball complex. He noted the Pickleball Concept Board approved a feasibility study in 2019 where staff and the Development and consultant reviewed possible sites and gathered stakeholder Community Input input. He added this consultant services proposal is essentially an extension of the previous agreement where the consultant will with staff to develop 3 concept alternatives, gather community input and estimate costs. Staff will provide the Board with updates at key points in the process. Vice Chair Ferm stated he was excited to get this project moving. Board Member Helvey inquired if 70 hours is enough time to do this right. Mr. Jaszewski clarified this is an extension of the feasibility study which was supposed to include community engagement, but studying alternative sites consumed those hours. He added staff has gotten pretty efficient on the social engagement process and feel confident this is enough to get that work done and put us on pace to potentially start construction next fall. Chair Lewis noted that the pickleball community who is watching this meeting should encourage the gathering of the community input through the social pinpoint. Motion made by Vice Chair Ferm, seconded by Board Member Syhre to approve the consultant services proposal from HKGi and to direct the Parks and Recreation Director Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 8 to execute the agreement subject to final review by the Director of Parks and Recreation and the City Attorney. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were six ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Old Business, Item B Aimee Peterson, Superintendent of Recreation stated this policy Policy for Usage of for usage serves as a guideline for our field rentals, park facilities and equipment and the goal is to make sure that our Public Parks, policies align with our true practice. She noted we are also Recreational Facilities adding a section for Fernbrook Fields. and Equipment Ms. Peterson stated some of the changes clarify when associations are assessed rental fees, when and how we’ll reserve fields, some restrictions on renting to outside teams, and how many permits renters could hold. Ms. Peterson noted the previous policy states a limitation of one permit at a time, but that is difficult to manage with online rentals. However, Board Member Coss recommended adding language that says that the Park Board or a staff designee has the authority to deny reoccurring rentals, which impact or restrict fair access to the community,. so no one person can monopolize a facility. This has been added to the recommended policy for your review this evening. Ms. Peterson drew attention to changes shown as 32.d: d. Parks and Recreation Park Board affiliated community youth athletic associations shall not reserve field space for any outside teams to use. At least one of the teams in each game must be from a Maple Grove affiliated athletic associations to avoid rental fees. All outside users need to rent the field space on their own from the City and pay the Board established fees. Association AB, BC, AC formatted league games (A=Maple Grove team) and tournament/events with fees already collected are exempt from this requirement. Ms. Peterson explained that our mission is to support our home associations. We have chosen to subsidize for operation; field maintenance, shelter attendant, garbage collection, etc. We would like to continue to support no charge for field rental for practices, leagues and games, or the Round Robin league games where they follow the 3 to 1 game set, allowing outside teams to Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 9 play against others as long as it's anchored by 2 games that have Maple Grove resident teams. Any additional games without a Maple Grove team playing will not be considered an affiliated Maple Grove youth association game and therefore would be assessed Park Board established fees. Board Members discussed this section at length, with questions on the variables of the 3-set cap wherein a Maple Grove team would have to book-end the game set, how does staff discover if the fields are being used by out-of-town teams, the definition of camps and what constitutes a tournament. Board Member Helvey stated he would like to see a cap on the 3-set series, so if you have a round robin with three teams, one of them has to be Maple Grove. Any more than that would be charged field rental fees and it becomes something different than a regularly scheduled league game, like maybe a jamboree; not to mention it also locks up more than one field. Chair Lewis asked for clarification as to how the cricket pitch field reservations would work. Ms. Peterson replied our reservation priority goes first to Park/Rec activities, then next to our affiliated youthathletic associations and then for outside rentals. Right now we don’t have any affiliated youth cricket associations, however we will be offering Park/Rec youth cricket programming. Ms. Peterson stressed that we rent our fields and facilities only for their intended use. So if someone is calling for a permit to have a picnic on the cricket pitch, staff will tell them the intended use is for cricket and they should consider a picnic pavilion, or another park area that would best meet their needs. Ms. Peterson noted that if groups without a permit want to use an area, it is on a first-come, first-serve – precluded only by someone with a permit. Motion made by Board Member Syhre, seconded by Board Member Cunningham to approve the Policy for Usage of Public Parks, Recreation Facilities and Equipment revisions and the addition of Fernbrook Athletic Fields Section with section 32.d having a 3 team cap. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were six ayes and no nays. Motion carried as amended. Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 10 Old Business, Item C Aimee Peterson, Superintendent of Recreation noted this is our 2022 Parks and annual review of our fee schedule, noting the preliminary review took place in May. She stated the is a slight increase of Recreation Fee the rental fee for Eagle Lake Community Building to keep it Schedule closer to market rate. She noted we are getting more private rental requests for outdoor turf and grass fields, so we did add a for-profit rate. She noted the non-resident rates for park amenities and synthetic turf fields did get increased to help assure we’re catering to our community first. Ms. Peterson stated that while it’s good to see our associations growing and offering camps and clinics that they charge for; however we can’t offer our operating subsidies for the additional things they are doing, so she did add a nominal camps and clinic fee. Ms. Peterson noted they increased the rate of the Phenow Pavilion by a small amount, added a fee for using only half of Central Park Great Lawn and added a fee for a half field at the Sports Dome. She noted skate rentals at Central Park went up from $6 to $7. Ms. Peterson noted that it’s good to review these rates every year to be sure we’re keeping our numbers even with market. Board Member Mielke questioned if the discount of $10 to rent the dome after 10:00 p.m. is worth bothering with. Ms. Peterson stated she can run some reports and see how often we have had rentals after 10:00 p.m. in the past. Vice Chair Ferm noted he feels the $30/field camp/clinic fee and the $50/field tournament fee doesn’t seem high enough to cover the costs of additional staff. Ms. Peterson clarified that these fees are separate from rental fees; noting that our partnership agreements preclude us from charging partners field rental fees. The camp and tournament fees cover some operating costs. A non-partner renter who would like to use the field for a camp or tournament would pay for both field rental space and the tournament or camp fee. A partner renter would pay just the camp or tournament fee. Chair Lewis stated he supports the fees as proposed, but wants staff to keep an eye on whether we’re charging enough to support these amazing facilities. Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 11 Motion made by Board Member Cunningham, seconded by Board Member Syhre to approve the 2022 Parks and Recreation Fee Schedule, subject to annual review. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were six ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Old Business, Item D Lisa Jost, Community Center Manager noted that our current Community Center catering agreements expire in December and staff researched catering models at other banquet facility venues and how they Catering Policy are accommodating a changing demographic and introducing Amendment new menu options. Staff discovered a trend in comparable cities broadening their catering options with a larger number of caterers available to customers. She said that this new catering proposal will fit with requests we are receiving from our customers. Ms. Jost highlighted the key changes. She stated we would allow up to 15 approved caterers, as opposed to only 4. She said potential caterers could apply for a one-year agreement, noting there is a $50 application fee to cover staff costs. Ms. Jost stated we would receive a commission for the catering service at a rate of 10% for Monday-Thursday and 15% for Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Lisa Jost noted another change in the policy is for smaller group rentals who have a maximum of 80 attendees, to allow them to have potluck; noting these rental requests would be honored only if received no earlier than 30 days prior to the event. She explained this would give larger groups, who typically plan a lot longer in advance, the availability of the two larger venues. Chair Lewis asked who are the two present liquor providers. Ms. Jost replied The Lookout and Lyndes and we recommend they remain the two liquor providers. She added that it is not unusual for an event to use one of these two and have a separate caterer. Board Member Syhre inquired if the application fee is charged every year a caterer applies. Ms. Jost replied yes, however the liquor providers will stay with the RFP process and not require an application. Board Member Helvey noted his disagreement with permitting groups with up to 80 attendees wanting to do potluck food versus the current policy of potluck parties being limited to 40 Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 12 attendees. He stated the reason for his objection is because it takes away Banquet Room space for larger events that would be using a caterer and the opportunity for more revenue. Motion made by Vice Chair Ferm, seconded by Board Member Cunningham to approve the Community Center Catering Policy Amendment, with the change to allow attendees up to 80 and with booking no earlier than 30 days prior to the event, to qualify for potluck. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were five ayes and Board Member Helvey voting nay. Motion carried and amended. New Business, Item A Director Stifter noted 2021 was a good year for the PDP fund Preliminary Park with an increase of $3M dollars. He stated we are not adding any new programs, but focusing on completing the previously Development approved allocations on our list. He added staff is Program recommending to add another million to the Gleason Fields allocation and increase the dollars for PSA 9 as the costs of those projects will be larger than we originally estimated. Chair Lewis asked for clarification for the recommended allocation for Gleason Fields. The Director noted last year’s allocation was $7.7 million and this recommendation is to increase it to $8.7 million. Board Member Mielke asked if adding a million to Gleason Fields will be sufficient. Director Stifter replied, he is not sure yet, but we can always come back and ask the Board for more if need be. Vice Chair Ferm stated he would like to see shade structures get phased in. Chair Lewis concurred and wondered if it could be brought forward in 2022 at maybe three locations. The Director noted the playground concept at Donahue South would be a good model for adding shade structures. Ben Jaszewski stated the shade structure at Donahue South is a Sun Dial model; it sits on a post and can be spun around to block the sun. He added that it should be installed early next spring and he will bring in photos. Board Member Syhre stated that Weaver Lake Community Park has been up for discussion many times and seems to get kind of Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 13 forgotten about. She noted it needs to be looked at. Chair Lewis stated he supports that also. New Business, Item B Lisa Jost, Community Center Manager stated that Phase 1 is to Consulting Services develop a strategy to determine naming rights opportunities and pricing, to coordinate and unify OMGAA, Maple Grove Agreement Phase 1 – Crimson and the MG Skating School branding displays, and to Prime Advertising develop sales materials to solicit naming rights sponsorships. and Design Ms. Jost noted it is estimated to be a two-month process to put packages together and then will be brought back to the Board. Motion made by Board Member Helvey, seconded by Board Member Mielke to approve Phase 1 of the Consulting Services Agreement with Prime Advertising and Design for $10,000 and to direct the Parks and Recreation Director to execute the agreement subject to final review by the Parks and Recreation Director and the City Attorney. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were six ayes and no nays. Motion carried. New Business, Item C Ben Jaszewski, Superintendent of Parks and Planning noted this Subdivision – Maple subdivision is located off of Holly and 105th Avenue and consists of two industrial buildings. Grove Innovative Center Motion by Vice Chair Ferm, seconded by Board Member Cunningham to approve the preliminary and final park dedication requirements on the Maple Grove Innovative Center Addition plat pursuant to Maple Grove Subdivision Ordinance, Chapter 30:18, Provision of Land for Public Use: • Applicant will fulfill the park dedication requirements on the plat with a cash dedication based upon industrial rate in effect at the time the plat is released by the City for recording. • Applicant may pay the fee at any time after the final plat has been approved by the City Council, but it must be paid before the plat is released for filing with the County. The final cash dedication is based on the rate at the time the dedication is paid. Rates are reviewed annually by the City Council at their first meeting in Park Board Meeting November 18, 2021 Page 14 February. This may affect the final cash dedication requirements. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were six ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Adjournment Motion made by Board Member Mielke, seconded by Board Member Helvey to adjourn. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were six ayes and no nays. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:26 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jan Clark, Recording Secretary and Chuck Stifter, Director Parks and Recreation Board City of Maple Grove