Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission

South St. Paul Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes of May 8, 2018 The Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission meeting was called to order by Chair Rich Dippel at 6:00 p.m. at Central Square Community Center. Members Present: Ron Morgan, Mike Lindamood, Lori Miller, Rich Dippel, Josh Dormady Members Absent: Michael Heidelberger, Mathew Helwig Others Present: Chris Esser, Geno Mazzali, Shannon Young 1. INTRODUCTIONS – None 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Lori Miller and second by Josh Dormady to approve the Minutes of April 10, 2018. 5 Yays. 0 Nays. Motion Passed 3. OLD BUSINESS 3A. Recreation Program Updates Mr. Mazzali announced that all of the summer staff are hired. He will begin training on May 29th. The City-wide Campout will be on June 9th along with the pools opening as well. Summer playgrounds and playhouse are scheduled to start on June 11th. 3B. Kaposia Landing –Draintile Installation update Mr. Esser noted the draintile installation will hopefully be finished by the end of this week. The fields will open this weekend for a high school tournament. Adult softball begins on Monday. 3C. McMorrow Field Renovation – Spring Punch List, Tentative Opening Mr. Esser noted the malfunctioning light has been fixed. This spring there will be work done on the parking lot including adjusting the curb cuts to follow ADA guidelines. The turf is now the City’s responsibility to manage. We are hoping to open the fields in late July with a Grand Opening celebration. 3D. Doug Woog Arena Updates Mr. Esser noted the ice has been removed on Rink 2 and the floor is being painted. The arena staff will have the ice back in and running by next Monday. Rink 1 ice will be removed in early June. 3E. CIP Projects – Specialty Off-Leach Dog Area, Lions Shelter at Kaposia Landing Mr. Esser noted he is waiting on one more quote on the specialty off-leach dog area for fencing before presenting to the city council for approval. The footings and concrete slab are being installed tomorrow for the Lions Club shelter. 3F. Park Assignments /Visit Reports Ron Morgan mentioned that Northview Park has squeaky swings. Staff will alert Public Works. 4. NEW BUSINESS 4A. McGuire Field Renovation At the request of the high school baseball coaches and Stockman Irish team, Public Works installed grass turf on the baselines between home and first and third and home plate. The installation occurred last fall with the hope that more work could be done in the spring to get the fields ready for play. The spring weather has caused a delay in the fields opening for the high school’s season. The fields are set to open on Thursday. 4B. Youth Football League Structure & VVA Donation Mr. Mazzali thanked the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) for their very generous donation for the football program this season. The structure of the football league is 1st- 2nd grade is flag, and 3rd – 6th grade is tackle. Also mentioned was a summit Mr. Mazzali attended and some changes that could possibly be coming. The commission encouraged Mr. Mazzali to take a look at youth football trends and other youth league’s rules and adjust the policies and procedures of our league if any modifications make sense. 4C. Disc Golf Lifetime Pass Proposal Mr. Esser mentioned the proposal received from the independent disc golf operator of Kaposia Park to join other communities and courses on a $300 dollar lifetime pass to the disc golf courses. The commission discussed the idea and wasn’t supportive of the lifetime pass. 4D. Elf Grant Fundraising – Dakota County Mr. Esser mentioned that five county communities could apply to a total of $3 million in grants from Dakota County due to hosting a landfill in their city. The City of South St. Paul submitted applications for two projects: Kaposia Landing Phase 2 and the Wakota Trailhead and Overlook. There were 19 applications submitted from the five communities. The City of South St. Paul was awarded $612,700 toward Phase 2 of Kaposia Landing. Gratitude was expressed by staff for Dakota County Commissioners Gaylord and Atkins who advocated for our projects during the board’s discussion of the awarding of projects. 4E. Armor Gates Mr. Esser mentioned that the city is looking for suggestions on what to do with the historic Armor Gates and where they should go if relocated. The commission recommended they would look best at Kaposia Landing or at the high school’s Ettinger Field. 6. ADJOURNMENT - Meeting adjourned at 6:53 p.m. Next meeting is June 12, 2018. Respectfully submitted, Geno Mazzali