Parks and Recreation Board

Maple Grove Parks and Recreation Board Regular Meeting May 18, 2023 Regular Meeting 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, Andy Mielke, and Krista Kuhnly. Board Members Board Members absent were: none Absent Also Present Also present in the Chambers were: Chuck Stifter, Director; Ben Jaszewski, Parks and Planning Superintendent; Aimee Peterson, Assistant Parks and Recreation Director; and Angie Dehn, Community Center Manager. Also Absent Also Absent: Council Representative Judy Hanson 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 Syhre to approve the agenda for the May 18, 2023 meeting as presented. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Public Comments No requests were received. Special Business Lisa Gedker reported earlier this spring, the aquatic staff at the Grove Cove Lifeguard Maple Grove Community Center responded to an emergency Team Recognition situation in the pool. They followed their training to enact the Emergency Action Plan and provide prompt and appropriate care to a patron in distress, resulting in a positive outcome. She recognized the staff for their actions in maintaining a safe environment and serving the patrons of the Grove Cove Aquatic Center. She stated she was very proud of her lifeguard staff. Park Board Meeting May 18, 2023 Page 2 Board Member Helvey thanked the Grove Cove lifeguard staff for their tremendous service to the community. Board Member Cunningham stated she appreciated the great service the lifeguards provide to the City of Maple Grove and its residents. Board Member Kuhnly explained she really appreciated the tremendous efforts of the lifeguards at the Grove Cove. Boardmember Syhre thanked the lifeguards for remaining focused and for working diligently to keep the community safe. She stated she was so proud of each one of the lifeguards for their efforts. Chair Lewis explained he appreciated the efforts of the lifeguards at the Grove Cove and how they were able to properly respond in an emergency situation. He stated he was very proud of each lifeguard and provided the lifeguards in attendance with a certificate from the City of Maple Grove. A round of applause was offered to all in attendance. Board Member Reports Vice Chair Ferm reported he was happy to see and hear players using the Gleason Fields. Board Member Cunningham explained a resident asked her to request open ice at the Community Center Ice Arena for youth hockey. Board Member Cunningham stated she has enjoyed being out and about in the city’s parks. Board Member Mielke noted he was at Gleason Fields on Tuesday night. He thanked staff for all of their efforts to design and bring this park to completion. Staff Reports Director’s Report: Director Stifter stated there would be a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, June 6 at 5:30 p.m. for Gleason Fields. Director Stifter reported work was beginning on the 2024 budget. He encouraged Board Members to speak with him Park Board Meeting May 18, 2023 Page 3 about any items that should be included in the upcoming budget. Assistant Parks and Recreation Director’s Report: Aimee Peterson shared the winter participation numbers. She stated participation was up 12% overall and noted there was a slight decline with swim classes which was due to a lack of swim instructors. Ms. Peterson explained Fernbrook Fields has new vending machines. Ms. Peterson stated Central Park was gearing up for the summer. She noted the splashpad and concessions would be open beginning Friday, May 26. She reviewed the number of organizations that utilize Central Park during the summer months and noted a permit process was now in place. She indicated the picnic pavilion at Bridges could also be rented. Ms. Peterson reported Minnesota Parent Magazine named Maple Grove the number one splash pad in the state and the Maple Maze was named second. Ms. Peterson discussed the turkey hunt that was held at Weaver Lake on Monday, April 24 noting 75 kids participated. Ms. Peterson indicated the farmers market had their opening day last Thursday. She noted there were 35 vendors and over 1,000 people in attendance. Ms. Peterson commented on the Tails and Ales event which would be held on Saturday, June 3 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Central Park. Ms. Peterson invited the public to attend the Juneteenth Celebration on Monday, June 19 from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Town Green. Further discussion ensued regarding the process that would be followed by staff for permits at Central Park. Park Board Meeting May 18, 2023 Page 4 Board Member Mielke commended the city for receiving accolades for both the splash pad and the Maple Maze. Parks and Planning Superintendent’s Report: Ben Jaszewski explained there were three weeks left on the Gleason Fields project. He reviewed the items that had yet to be completed. He displayed photos of the Gleason Fields and invited the Board to attend the June 6 ribbon cutting ceremony. Board Member Syhre requested an update on Old City Hall. Director Stifter reported the city recently retained an architect that specializes in historical restoration. He commented on the options available which would be to get rid of the facility and salvage components, return it to the pre-fire condition with vinyl siding and asphalt shingles or to upgrade it to its original historic character. He explained the Council and the historical society would review these proposals in order to select a path forward. He anticipated this initial work would be done by August 1. Community Center Manager’s Report: Angie Dehn thanked Lisa and Adrienne for their tremendous work at the pool and for finding enough lifeguards to make this possible. Ms. Dehn discussed the Arbor Day celebration that was held on April 29 at the Community Center. She stated there were 25 different educational vendors at this event. Ms. Dehn displayed photos of finishing touches that have occurred at the TCO Rink. Ms. Dehn reviewed the attendance numbers for the pool, gym, maze, ice arena, banquet room, senior center, and meeting rooms. She noted numbers were up when compared to 2022. Ms. Dehn discussed the upcoming events which included the De La Salle Senior Party Lock-In, the CMRS Eviction Prevention Clinic and Resource Fair, the St. Francis Middle School Field Trip, the Osseo Area Schools Juneteenth Celebration, the Monroe Elementary School Field Trip, the Rice Lake Elementary Field Trip, and the Sapphire Queens Beauty Pageant. Park Board Meeting May 18, 2023 Page 5 CONSENT BUSINESS Consent Business Motion made by Board Member Cunningham, seconded by Board Member Mielke to approve the Consent Items as presented. A. Minutes – April 20, 2023 Regular Meeting B. Approve Claims C. 2023 Winter Recreation Participation Report D. 2023 First Quarter Community Center Participation Report E. Special Use Permit – Water Lantern Festival F. Accept Donation to Maple Grove Days G. Fee Waiver Request – Community PRIDE Event Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS Old Business, Item A Aimee Peterson, Parks and Recreation Assistant Director stated Outdoor Rinks Program during the 2022/2023 outdoor ice season public engagement Recommendation took place at Boundary Creek, Elm Creek School, Donahue North, and Thoresen. Informational signage was placed at the rinks and inside the park shelters. Comments were collected on the parks and recreation website, check in onsite attendance was taken via QR code, and staff-observed attendance data was also collected. A 2022/2023 participation and community engagement report were reviewed with the Board. Ms. Peterson explained the data collected showed that attendance taken both by staff and QR check ins was lowest at Elm Creek School followed by Donahue North. Public comments were collected on the website. Boundary Creek had 19 comment engagements, Elm Creek had six, Donahue North had three and Thoresen had one. Feedback from the community focused on quality of ice as well as support to keep neighborhood rinks open, as they are less busy and friendlier for new young skaters. Like many services and facilities in the park system, resources allow for only regional locations. Outdoor ice has been and will likely continue with a more regional service delivery level. As the northwest quadrant of Park Board Meeting May 18, 2023 Page 6 the city develops it is appropriate to consider an outdoor rink to serve this region of the community (not currently served by outdoor ice). Ms. Peterson reported with the trending low number of participants, along with the anticipation of future outdoor rinks in the northwest quadrant of Maple Grove, staff recommends reducing the number of outdoor rinks by discontinuing outdoor ice rinks at both Elm Creek School and Donahue North. The outdoor rinks at Boundary Creek and Thoresen will continue to service the northeast and southeast quadrants. Reducing the program will allow maintenance staff to provide better ice conditions at the remaining sites. One hockey rink at Gleason will reopen this year with a concrete base. This pilot project will help provide insight for future rinks improvements and replacement projects. The concrete base has a flatter, colder surface allowing ice to develop quicker and provide for a better, longer, skating season. Board Member Syhre asked if Elm Creek School utilized the ice. Ms. Peterson stated she did not believe the school utilized the ice through their physical education program. Board Member Mielke thanked Ms. Peterson and her team for the job they did to analyze and evaluate the ice use throughout the community. He reported he would support staff’s recommendation based on the data provided. He stated he would choose quality over quantity and noted he appreciated the fact another high quality rink would be added at Gleason Fields. Vice Chair Ferm commented he appreciated the data that was provided by staff and believed the data spoke for itself. He appreciated the fact Boundary Creek would remain open for this quadrant of the city. He anticipated there were not a whole lot of kids walking to the park for skating or pickup games. He indicated he would be supporting staff’s recommendation to close the two outdoor ice rink sites. He asked if hockey board materials from the closing two rinks could be salvaged for other rinks. Mr. Jaszewski reported the boards at Donahue North would not be salvageable. He stated Park Board Meeting May 18, 2023 Page 7 there may be some framing and lumber that could be salvaged from the Elm Creek School rink. Vice Chair Ferm commented it was not his intent to eliminate outdoor rinks, but rather his intent was to elevate the overall quality of the outdoor rinks for the entire community. Board Member Cunningham requested staff review the comments from the public that were received regarding the outdoor rinks. Ms. Peterson reviewed the comments from the public in further detail and stated the common theme from the public was about the quality of the ice, asking for better quality ice and the importance of having neighborhood parks available for younger children. Board Member Cunningham expressed concern that these two rinks were being taken away based on the thinking that this would make other rinks better. She was of the opinion the city did not fully understand what these two rinks meant to a handful of people. She commented further on how she valued her neighborhood rink and stated her kids walk to the rink in her neighborhood. She expressed concern with the fact the Park Board was picking apart a small sliver of services. She commented she believed staff time would remain the same for the rinks even if the two were removed, because their efforts would go toward the additional wear and tear on the remaining rinks. While she understood rinks required a lot of man hours, she supported both rinks remaining in place. Board Member Mielke stated the staff time spent on maintenance should be considered. He noted staff was having a hard time finding workers and this too should be taken into consideration given how labor intensive the outdoor rinks were to maintain. Chair Lewis commented he appreciated the northwest area was being called out. He indicated the city would have to be creative on how to accommodate this quadrant of the city. He suggested this area of the city be placed in the 2024 budget. He appreciated the fact a concrete pad was being installed at Gleason Fields for an upgraded ice rink. Park Board Meeting May 18, 2023 Page 8 Motion made by Vice Chair Ferm, seconded by Board Member Helvey to approve discontinuing outdoor ice rink services at Elm Creek School and Donahue North Park. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were six ayes and one nay (Board Member Cunningham opposed). Motion carried. NEW BUSINESS New Business, Item A Director Stifter stated Rice Lake Trail is a treasured city amenity Professional Services with a noteworthy history in trail planning, acquisition and Agreement – Feasibility development by the city of Maple Grove. The trail completely Study for Rice Lake Trail traverses the lakeshore of Rice Lake providing beautiful views of the suburban lake and the nature it attracts. The city manages a significant portion of the shoreline through parcel ownership and easement. The trail corridor passes through a wooded landscape of mature trees and shoreline habitat with a diverse topography. The loop trail provides connections to the surrounding neighborhood and local trail network intersecting the regional trail system on the west side. Director Stifter reported Rice Lake Trail was built in segments during the late 80’s and early 90’s after years of acquiring land through park dedication, easements, and other measures. While cherished by many for its quaint meandering corridor it is very difficult and costly to maintain. The narrow trail and shoulders fall short of today’s safety standards for trail design. Limited capacity bridges restrict access for public safety and maintenance vehicles, and age has simply taken its toll on the retaining walls, culverts, and other infrastructure. Last year a city-wide capital improvement plan was developed which targeted many projects for reinvestment in the next five years. Rice Lake Trail was mentioned and discussed at a council work session but didn’t make the list because of its anticipated high cost and undefined funding source. Council, at that meeting, directed staff to study the trail and determine a budgetary cost so a funding plan can be developed. Director Stifter commented on the proposal from SRF Consulting to complete a trail assessment study of the 3.7 miles trail corridor to identify issues, define recommendations Park Board Meeting May 18, 2023 Page 9 and prepare a planning level cost estimate. SRF will engage a four-person team from civil engineering, water resources, structural engineering and landscape architecture to complete the assessment. They are prepared to start work immediately and complete the study and final report by early August. Staff recommends the Board accept the proposal and direct staff to execute the agreement and initiate work with the consultant. Chair Lewis stated this was a complex project given the number of stakeholders that would be involved. He asked when a plan would be completed by SRF. Director Stifter anticipated a report would be ready at the end of July. Motion by Board Member Syhre, seconded by Board Member Kuhnly to approve the professional services proposal from SRF Consulting to complete an assessment study for Rice Lake Trail redevelopment as defined in the proposal dated May 15, 2023. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. New Business, Item B Director Stifter stated parks have historically been named after PSA 9 – Park Naming the subdivision from which the park land was acquired. The subdivision in PSA 9 with the park parcel was Minnesota Health Village. Staff is recommending the named Village Park. The park will officially classify as a playlot in the park system plan. Vice Chair Ferm stated historically parks have been named for subdivisions. He did not believe the city had to tie park names to their adjacent subdivision, but noted he would support the name Village Park. Board Member Kuhnly explained she supported the proposed name. She thanked staff for all of their efforts on this park. Chair Lewis encouraged the Park Board to visit this new park and stated he appreciated staff’s creative efforts on this park. Board Member Cunningham explained she supported the proposed park name. Park Board Meeting May 18, 2023 Page 10 Motion by Board Member Syhre, seconded by Board Member Mielke to approve the name Village Park for the playlot in Park Service Area 9, located on Grove Circle N, east of the Maple Grove Hospital. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. New Business, Item C Ben Jaszewski, Parks and Planning Superintendent stated the Subdivision – Arbor Lakes Arbor Lakes Business Park 5th Addition subdivision is a 25.07- Business Park 5th Addition acre proposal made up of Lot 1 Block 1 (9.75-acres) and two outlots. The applicant proposes a 195,000 SF commercial facility with regional offices and warehouse space on the platted lot. Park dedication will be required for the two remaining outlots when they are platted as lots in the future. The applicant is purchasing land from the Tiller Corporation. They will be using park dedication credits from the Tiller Corporation credit bank to satisfy a portion of the park dedication obligation for this development. The Tiller credit balance is currently 4.58 acres. This subdivision will close out the Tiller credit bank and the remaining park dedication obligation will be satisfied with a cash dedication. The park dedication obligation for Arbor Lakes Business Park 5th Addition would be a combination of credit (Tiller Credit Bank) and cash. Fees will apply as follows: Lot 1, block 1............................................................. 9.75 acres Tiller credit balance................................................... 4.58 acres Remaining site area.……………………………………………….5.17 acres 5.17 acres x $11,000 per acre = $56,870 Mr. Jaszewski reported Arbor Lakes Business Park 5th Addition is located within PSA 24 which is part of the Gravel Mining Area. There are currently no developed park amenities in this service area. A neighborhood park is planned for this PSA in a location nearer the planned residential land use areas. Staff recommends the Park Board approve the Arbor Lakes Business Park 5th Addition plat and accept the credit reduction and cash dedication. Park Board Meeting May 18, 2023 Page 11 Motion by Vice Chair Ferm, seconded by Board Member Helvey to approve the final park dedication requirements on the Arbor Lakes Business Park 5th Addition plat pursuant to Maple Grove Subdivision Ordinance, Chapter 30:18, Provision of Land for Public Use: • Applicant shall fulfil the park dedication requirements on the plat with a cash dedication based upon residential 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 February. This may affect the final cash dedication requirements. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. New Business, Item D Ben Jaszewski, Parks and Planning Superintendent stated the Subdivision – River Valley proposed subdivision is a 5.37-acre site with a proposed 33,940 Church Addition SF facility that will include a large worship auditorium, classrooms, and offices. Park dedication for developments with one principle use which is not for dwelling purposes is based on the average fair market value of an acre of land in Maple Grove, which is currently $133,000. Fair market value for park dedication purposes is determined annually by the City Assessor. Fees are determined by multiplying the fair market value by 10% (equivalent to maximum land dedication), which calculates to $13,300 per acre. The park dedication obligation for the proposed subdivision would be a cash dedication. Fees will apply as follows: 5.37 acres x $13,300 per acre = $71,421 Mr. Jaszewski explained the River Valley Church Addition subdivision is located within the city’s Park Service Area (PSA) 6N. Local and regional trails along with a neighborhood park Park Board Meeting May 18, 2023 Page 12 are planned for PSA 6N as development continues. Staff recommends the Park Board approve the River Valley Church Addition park dedication requirements and accept the cash dedication. Motion by Board Member Mielke, seconded by Board Member Kuhnly to approve the final park dedication requirements on the River Valley Church Addition plat pursuant to Maple Grove Subdivision Ordinance, Chapter 30:18, Provision of Land for Public Use: • Applicant shall fulfil the park dedication requirements on the plat with a cash dedication based upon residential 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 February. This may affect the final cash dedication requirements. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. Adjournment Motion made by Board Member Helvey, seconded by Board Member Cunningham to adjourn. Upon call for the question, on a voice vote, there were seven ayes and no nays. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:26 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Chuck Stifter, Director Parks and Recreation Board City of Maple Grove