Parks and Recreation Board

Maple Grove Parks and Recreation Board Regular Meeting Minutes May 19, 2022 Call to Order The Regular Meeting was called to order by Chair, Bill Lewis at 7:00 p.m. Board Members Present Present in the Chambers were: Chair Bill Lewis, Vice Chair John Ferm, Board Members Ken Helvey, Deb Syhre, Kelly Cunningham, and Andy Mielke. Board Members Board Members absent were: Board Member Debbie Coss. Absent Also Present Also present in the Chambers were: Council Representative Leith; Chuck Stifter, Parks and Recreation Director; Ben Jaszewski, Parks and Planning Superintendent; Aimee Peterson, Recreation Superintendent; and Angie Dehn, Community Center Manager. Approval of Agenda Chair Lewis called for any changes to the agenda. Director Stifter replied there are none. Motion made by Vice Chair Ferm, seconded by Board Member Helvey to approve the agenda for the May 19, 2022 meeting as presented. 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 No items to present. Board Member Reports Vice Chair Ferm stated he was pleased to see the progress that was being made at Gleason Fields. Park Board Meeting May 19, 2022 Page 2 Board Member Cunningham explained the weather has been great for people to be out to use the city’s parks and trails. Board Member Mielke stated he drove past Donahue South and noted the new playground equipment looked really nice. He thanked staff for all of their work on this project. Staff Reports Director’s Report: Director Stifter stated the Council approved the acquisition of the Springer property, which meant the city now had all the land necessary to complete a neighborhood park in this service area. He encouraged the Board to think about a name for PSA 9, which is located in the Minnesota Health Village subdivision. He also reminded the Board Members of the worksession meeting that would be held on Monday, May 23 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Parks and Planning Superintendent’s Report: Ben Jaszewski discussed the progress that was being made at Gleason Fields. He commented on the work that had been done at Donahue South Park. Mr. Jaszewski stated the splash pad would be inspected on Tuesday, May 24 in the hopes of opening on Friday, May 27. Mr. Jaszewski then discussed the vandalism and graffiti that has occurred at several park buildings, noting staff was working to address this concern. The Board expressed concern regarding the level of vandalism that was occurring and stated the facilities may have to be locked if the vandalism continues. Mr. Jaszewski noted when buildings had been locked, the vandalism would occur on the outside of the structure. Mr. Jaszewski encouraged the Board to review the Parks Supervisor’s Annual Report from Rob Heike. Board Member Syhre thanked staff for providing the Board with a thorough list of maintenance that was completed in the city and its parks each year. Park Board Meeting May 19, 2022 Page 3 Recreation Superintendent’s Report: Aimee Peterson stated the outdoor farmers market opened last week. She reported Mao Lee has been a great addition to the farmers market team. She explained Maple Grove had been nominated as having one of the best farmers market by the Star Tribune. Ms. Peterson commented the first intergenerational garden club meeting was held this week. She discussed how this program would be expanded after receiving a generous donation from Lowe’s. She reviewed several photographs that highlighted the work being done by this garden club. Ms. Peterson was pleased to report plantings have been put into the boulevards which adds a lot of color to the community. She thanked the over 100 volunteers that helped with this event. Ms. Peterson thanked all of the seniors that attended the senior luncheon today. Ms. Peterson thanked her intern Roee Hecht for his assistance on the summer marketing campaign. Ms. Peterson encouraged the public to consider attending the Memorial Day event which would be held on Monday, May 30 at 10:00 a.m. Ms. Peterson stated the Cross Community Players would be hosting Legally Blonde The Musical and performances would be held on June 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25 and 26 at the Maple Grove Town Green Amphitheater. Ms. Peterson reported Juneteenth would be celebrated on Sunday, June 19 at Central Park from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. Ms. Peterson discussed the scheduled park cleanup days that were held this spring. Community Center Manager’s Report: Angie Dehn stated an Arbor Day celebration was held on Saturday, May 7 at the Community Center. Park Board Meeting May 19, 2022 Page 4 Ms. Dehn updated the Board on the ice arena project. She noted primer was put up this week and bleachers were being prepped for new seats. Board Member Syhre requested staff report back to the Board with the final plans and color scheme for the arena. Chair Lewis thanked Ms. Dehn for arranging a tour of the Plymouth Community Center for the Park Board. Council Liaison’s Report: Council Member Leith stated the Homestead Corners project was approved by the Council. He indicated the empty lot next to Brick and Bourbon would be developed into a retail strip mall with three tenants. He commented on the ground-breaking ceremony that was held for Mechatronic Solutions last Tuesday. He also noted a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Granite City/Village Inn, as the Village Inn addition offers a breakfast option for guests. CONSENT BUSINESS Consent Business Chair Lewis requested further information on Item C. Tanner Lunceford introduced Trey Bechly, who would serve as the Community Center Facility Coordinator, to the Park Board. Trey Bechly thanked the Park Board for having him. He then provided the Board with background information and stated he was looking forward to serving the City of Maple Grove. Motion made by Board Member Cunningham, seconded by Board Member Syhre to approve the Consent Items as presented. A. Minutes – April 21, 2022 Regular Meeting B. Approve Claims C. Appointment – Community Center Facility Coordinator D. Amendment to Agreement Relating to Parking – St. Joseph the Worker E. Grant Award – Conservation Partners Legacy Grant F. OMGAA Sale of Concessions Agreement G. Subdivision – Evanswood Addition – Revised Park Board Meeting May 19, 2022 Page 5 H. Subdivision – Arbor Lakes Business Park 3rd Addition – Revised I. East Arena Sound System Replacement – Award Project J. Special Use Permit – Across All Lines Fundraiser Walk 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, Parks and Planning Superintendent stated staff Lakeview Knolls Park – and consultant (HKGi) have developed three concept plans Concept Review showing practical locations for the addition of twelve pickleball courts. Staff reviewed the three options in detail with the Commission and recommended the Park Board approve the three concepts and direct staff to move forward with Community Engagement. It was noted after reviewing comments from the public, staff will make a recommendation to the Board at their June 2022 meeting. Funding for this project comes from the Park Development Program. Board Member Helvey asked staff how much it would cost to light the fields. Mr. Jaszewski explained it would cost $250,000 to light all of the pickleball courts. Board Member Helvey commented he did not support Option 3. He indicated he would like to avoid pushing traffic onto Juneau and therefore he believed Option 2 was the most viable option for the pickleball courts. He suggested dividers be considered for the existing six courts. Vice Chair Ferm concurred with Board Helvey’s comments noting he preferred Option 2 because he liked the fact that the courts would be pulled together. Board Member Mielke agreed with Board Member Helvey and Vice Chair Ferm. He indicated he was concerned with how Option 1 would impact the adjacent ball diamond. Board Member Cunningham stated she did not love the layout of Option 1. She anticipated the parking lot would be active Park Board Meeting May 19, 2022 Page 6 and she preferred to keep children away from this area. She recommended Option 2 move forward with the trail on Juneau. Board Member Syhre asked if the rain garden would be used for drainage. Mr. Jaszewski indicated the rain garden would be used for stormwater management. Board Member Syhre questioned if the City had an arrangement with the church for additional parking space. Mr. Jaszewski indicated the City currently does. He noted there were currently 198 spaces in the lot plus 37 more on Juneau. Board Member Syhre stated she would like to see Option 2 moving forward noting she liked how this plan separates the uses within the park. Chair Lewis explained he supported Option 2 because it creates synergy within the park. He appreciated the fact that there would be separation between the play area and the ballfield or pickleball courts. He also supported the new restroom facilities being installed near the pickleball courts. He asked how many parking spaces were available at Arbor View. Mr. Jaszewski indicated there was another 100 parking spaces available at Arbor View. Motion made by Vice Chair Ferm, seconded by Board Member Helvey to approve the three concepts for Lakeview Knolls Park and to direct staff to move forward with Community Engagement. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were six ayes and no nays. Motion carried. NEW BUSINESS New Business, Item A Park Director Stifter stated at the April 18, 2022 joint work session Service Area 4 – Park with Council, Park Board and Planning Commission the Planning Review Territorial Road Master Plan was presented with four possible park location scenarios. Staff was directed to further study scenario 1 as two potential options along Territorial Road. This evening representatives from WSB will present the findings associated with the two options. Factors that influence the two Park Board Meeting May 19, 2022 Page 7 park locations include proximity to future residents, access from neighborhood, access to regional trail, availability of land, natural resource conservation and restrictions, topography and historical significance. Each of these are addressed in the two attachments. The timing of this review and subsequent Board action is influenced by proposed residential development directly east of the park site options. Option B is located within the proposed development and would require a land dedication if that were the direction of the Board. Option A would not be impacted by the proposed development. In order for staff to prepare a recommendation to the Board on park dedication requirements for the proposed development the park location needs to be identified. Staff is recommending the Board consider Option A as the preferred location. This location, albeit slightly further from the residents, provides the most complete park development opportunities. It includes enough flat land for standard neighborhood park improvements such as open lawn, playground, courts and trails. It also is in proximity to the historical school building. This opportunity comes along only rarely and with the city nearly fully develop it may not come again. Locating the neighborhood park next to a historical site could secure this area as public and bring a steady flow of visitors and stewards to this unique place in Maple Grove history. Eric Zweber, WSB & Associates, provided detailed information on the plans for PSA 4. He commented on the joint meeting that was held between the Planning Commission, Park Board and City Council. Jeff Hillner, WSB & Associates, reviewed the two sites that had been selected for a park within PSA 4. He then discussed the positive and negative features for the two park options. Mr. Zweber reported the staff recommendation was to move forward with Option A. Director Stifter commented on the benefits of moving forward with Option A. Board Member Cunningham asked if a bridge would be completed to connect to the trail system. Director Stifter Park Board Meeting May 19, 2022 Page 8 discussed the location for the creek crossing noting this would be done on the regional trail system and not the city’s trail system. Vice Chair Ferm indicated the creek crossing would be key for this park. He questioned if Three Rivers supported the proposed plans, given the fact a portion of the park land belonged to the Three Rivers Park District. Director Stifter reported staff has concurrent negotiations with Three Rivers for land exchanges in other parts of the city. He indicated he would update the Park Board on those dealings at the future meeting. Vice Chair Ferm questioned if the property owner was a willing seller and asked what the price would be for this land. Mr. Zweber stated the proposed price was the assessed value, which may be low, but this was all the information he had on the property value. Further discussion ensued regarding the creek crossing. Vice Chair Ferm inquired if there was a need for ballfields at this park. Director Stifter reported the Comprehensive Plan identifies what athletic fields or amenities are needed to complete the park system. He indicated the park system needed rectangular soccer fields but not diamond fields. Board Member Helvey asked who owned the third parcel. Mr. Zweber stated this was a private landowner. Board Member Helvey explained Option A could only move forward if the city gets two private property owners to cooperate. He also expressed concern with how difficult it would be for adjacent property owners to get to this park until a creek crossing was put in place. Director Stifter reported the city would have a trail along Territorial Road for the residents in the neighborhood. He explained the city purchases land from private owners on occasion and he was not concerned with acquiring these two parcels when the seller is ready. Park Board Meeting May 19, 2022 Page 9 Board Member Helvey wanted to be assured that Option A could move forward because the people living in this area deserved a park. Board Member Cunningham indicated she would only go to this park unless there was a safe bridge over 81. She explained she was concerned about how long it would take to get all of the pieces of the puzzle together for park Option A. She stated she would like to see the city pursuing a park in this area sooner rather than later, even if this means the park is smaller. Board Member Mielke commented on the distance between Option A and B and he believed Option B was more accessible. Board Member Helvey did not believe the distance between the two parks was more than one-quarter of a mile. He asked if a trail along Territorial Road would be completed. Mr. Zweber noted there were constraints, but stated staff believed a safe connection could be completed. He indicated the cost and the impact would have to be further investigated, along with the alignment or engineering of Territorial Road. Board Member Syhre commented Option A was the only option she would support. She did not believe a playground next to a cemetery was responsible or respectful. Board Member Cunningham encouraged the Board to keep in mind how busy Territorial Road was. She feared the Board was jumping over a lot of hurdles and perhaps this project should be put on hold until more information was available on when Territorial Road would be reconstructed. Community Development Director Hogeboom discussed the dangerous connection that was in place at County Road 81 and Territorial Road. He noted the City was working with the City of Dayton and Hennepin County to put a stop light at this intersection in order to facilitate safe left turns onto County Road 81. He believed once this was done, the level of traffic along Territorial Road would decrease. He indicated Territorial Road will look like Elm Road (in the south part of the city) once reconstructed and the speed limit would be 30 miles per hour with a trail on one side. He reported he heard from Alano and Park Board Meeting May 19, 2022 Page 10 their board would be meeting in the next couple of weeks to discuss the sale of this property. Board Member Mielke thanked staff for this information. He noted he drives Elm Road occasionally and he believed this would be a positive change for Territorial Road. Vice Chair Ferm indicated there would be a potential for a lot of Dayton residents to use the proposed park. He asked if there were any parks in Dayton adjacent to this area. Mr. Zweber stated he met with Dayton staff to learn these things. He explained Dayton would be planning a park adjacent to the road that serves the golf course. He estimated this park would be one-quarter to one-half mile north of the city boundary. Director Stifter stated there was an existing neighborhood park (Boom Diggity) in the neighborhood to the north in Dayton. Board Member Cunningham questioned where Pulte would have their trail connections. Mr. Zweber reviewed the land that was owned by Pulte Homes and discussed the trails that would be built on their land. Board Member Cunningham stated she appreciated this trail connection because it would provide more safety for pedestrians. Chair Lewis indicated this was a special spot in the city and he thanked staff for sharing the significance with the Park Board. He stated he was curious what would be found when this park was built. He explained the Board has a chance to build something special here and he supported Option A moving forward. Motion by Board Member Syhre, seconded by Board Member Mielke to approve Option A on the Territorial Road Master Plan: Neighborhood Park Search Area plan as the preferred location for the future neighborhood park in Park Service Area 4. Board Member Cunningham explained she was not 100% on this option. Park Board Meeting May 19, 2022 Page 11 Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were five ayes and one nay (Board Member Cunningham). Motion carried. New Business, Item B Ben Jaszewski, Parks and Planning Superintendent stated the Contract Services proposal this evening is from Stantec Consulting Services Agreement – Arbor Lakes (Stantec) for management and implementation of the Arbor 2022 Natural Resources Lakes 2022 Natural Resources Management Plan (NRMP). At Management their meeting on January 20, 2022 the Board approved the grant application request with an anticipated budget of $65,050. The proposal from Stantec is a lump sum totaling $61,000 for natural resource management activities on approximately 50 acres for West Arbor Lake, Byerly’s Pond, North Arbor Lakes, Arbor Lake, Maple Lakes Park, Central Park, and associated stormwater ponds. Activities will include selective site preparation mowing this spring in advance of multiple herbaceous invasive species control treatments through the 2022 growing season (May – October). Invasive species control will prioritize the species identified in the 2021 NRMP, using the treatment timing, methods, and herbicide recommendations in the NRMP as well. Treatment objectives will focus on significantly reducing invasive plant cover in preparation for native prairie grass seeding in select areas in the spring of 2023. It was noted Stantec was integral in assisting staff with the grant application process securing grant funding to enhance and protect the native areas around Arbor Lakes and has extensive experience in building, maintaining, managing, and restoring ecological native areas. Funding for this project will come from the general park maintenance fund and the Conservation Legacy Partners Grant Award. Staff recommends the Board accept the proposal to retain Stantec Consulting Services to provide management and implementation services for the Arbor Lakes 2022 Natural Resources Management Project. Vice Chair Ferm asked if controlled burns would be completed as part of this maintenance agreement. Mr. Jaszewski stated there may be, but not likely for this year. Chair Lewis indicated he liked seeing this and he appreciated the fact that Stantec would be working with the city on this project over the next couple of years. Park Board Meeting May 19, 2022 Page 12 Board Member Helvey questioned who would be completing the maintenance work. Mr. Jaszewski indicated the Stantec team would be completing this work, along with city staff. Motion by Board Member Mielke, seconded by Board Member Helvey to approve the agreement dated April 25, 2022 with Stantec Consulting Services to provide management and implementation services for the Arbor Lakes 2022 Natural Resources Management Project and authorize execution of the Agreement, subject to final review by the city attorney and Parks and Recreation Director. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were six ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Adjournment Motion made by Vice Chair Ferm, seconded by Board Member Cunningham to adjourn. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were six ayes and no nays. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Chuck Stifter, Director Parks and Recreation Board City of Maple Grove