Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission

South St. Paul Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes of November 14, 2017 The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting was called to order by Chair Rich Dippel at 6:00 p.m. at Central Square Community Center. Members Present: Josh Dormady, Rich Dippel, Mathew Helwig, Ron Morgan, Mike Lindamood, Lori Miller Members Absent: Michael Heidelberger Others Present: Chris Esser, Shannon Young, Geno Mazzali 1. INTRODUCTIONS – None 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Miller and second by Helwig to approve the Minutes of October 3, 2017. 7 Yays. 0 Nays. Motion Passed 3. OLD BUSINESS 3A. Recreation Program Updates – Pumpkin Patch, Halloween, School Break Trips Mr. Mazzali reported that the Pumpkin Patch was a success and people enjoyed the event even though it was raining. Pumpkins were available outside with games, apple juice and cookies inside the building at Central Square. Many thanks to the Croatian Hall for donating the 250 pumpkins and treats. Also mentioned was the MEA school break trip to the Bunker Hills stable with 14 kids participating and the awesome weather. 3B. Kaposia Landing Operations – Warranty List Items Mr. Esser noted WSB sent a letter to Rachel Construction about the field drainage issues. After several meetings, Rachel has agreed to help fund the installation of draintile. The plan is to install draintile hopefully within the next month. Peterson Contracting will be hired to install the drain title, who was Rachel’s subcontractor on the Kaposia Landing project. 3C. McMorrow Field Renovation – Punch List Mr. Esser noted there is nothing new to report on this topic. 3D. Kaposia Landing Picnic Shelter Update Mr. Esser mentioned that the shelter is ordered and waiting on the concrete installation schedule. The shelter will be installed next spring. 3E. Doug Woog Arena Updates-Lobby Restroom Remodel, CLC Space Needs. Mr. Esser noted the remodeled lobby restrooms at the arena turned out great and will re-open within a week. The majority of the labor was done in-house utilizing staff form the arena and Public Works. 3F. Outdoor Rink Operations 2017-18 Mr. Mazzali noted that the warming house positions have been posted and interviews will be underway soon. Four warming houses will be operated this winter including Bromley, Harmon, Jefferson, and Lorraine. Mr. Esser noted there has been some discussion regarding the future of the rinks, maintenance, and operations. The commission recognizes this has been an ongoing discussion and would like to devote a future meeting to creating a long-term plan for the outdoor rinks. Commission recommended to devote the February 2018 meeting to discuss long term planning for the outdoor rinks. 3G. Seidl’s Lake Park Off-Street Parking – 11/18/17 Open House Mr. Esser attended the Seidl’s Lake neighborhood street reconstruction Open House and mentioned that there has been some confusion about how the street project related to the future development of Seidl’s Lake Park according to the Park Master Plan. Many neighbors of the park are under the impression they are paying the full cost of constructing off-street parking spaces for Seidl’s Lake Park along with future park development through their street assessment, which is untrue. About ¼ of the project cost of the street is assessed to individual homeowners based upon the measurement of frontage of their property. The remaining project cost is paid for by all city taxpayers and grants, which includes the parking spaces. The parking area is still under review and will likely be reduced from 15 spots to a lesser number due to the concerns of the neighborhood. 3H. Summit Park Tree Plantings Update Mr. Esser noted three new trees were planted at Summit Park at the neighborhood request. 3I. Park Assignments/Visit Reports It was reported there was a possible fire inside the tube slide at Grandview Park. 4. NEW BUSINESS 4A. RecTrac Software Conversion Ms. Young mentioned there has been a learning curve with the new system as expected. She also requested commissioners check out the online registration page that has been updated. The system had its first test when the new gymnastics sessions was open for registration and mostly went well. 4B. Youth Program Fee Assistance Mr. Esser noted youth fee assistance is one of the goals on the 2017 to do list. He mentioned as of right now we offer $500 in fee assistance for our program. Mr. Esser asked the commission what they thought is a proper amount to offer to meet the increasing needs of families in youth programs. Motion by Lindamood and second by Miller to increase fee assistance offering to $2,000 and explore funding options and partnerships. 7 Yays. 0 Nays. Motion Passed. 4C. Mississippi River Trail – South St. Paul Node Planning & Zagster Bike Share Mr. Esser reported on discussions with Dakota County on the Zagster Bikes share program. The bikes stations cost $18,000 for each location, to be paid by the host city. As of right now the cities are not interested in paying that price for the bikes. Mr. Esser noted Dakota County is looking for a sponsor fund the cost of the bike stations. Also mentioned was a planning collaboration with the city of South St. Paul, Dakota County and the National Park Service on a new trail node along the regional trail in South St. Paul. The initial planning is focused upon the spiral bridge area along the trail. 4D. 2018 Proposed Meeting Schedule Mr. Esser presented the commission meeting dates and times for 2018. No obvious conflicts were reported by commissioners. 5. Other Business – none 6. ADJOURNMENT- Meeting adjourned at 7:09 p.m. Next meeting is December 12, 2017. Respectfully submitted, Geno Mazzali