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09/16/2013 - Advisory Parks & Recreation CommissionADVISORY PARKS COMMISSION Monday, September 16, 2013 7:00 p.m. Eagan Municipal Center, Council Chambers Workshop: 6:00 – 6:55 p.m., Conference Room 2A & 2B A. 2014 Park & Trail Dedication Fees – Paul Olson B. Playground criteria/drawings of new installations – Paul Olson C. Work Plan Priorities for 2013-2014 D. Committee Assignments Agenda I. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance 7:00 p.m. II. Adopt Agenda 7:02 p.m. III. Approval of Meeting Minutes on July 15, 2013 7:07 p.m. IV. Visitors to be Heard 7:09 p.m. V. Director’s Update 7:10 p.m. VI. Consent Agenda 7:25 p.m. VII. Development Proposals 7:26 p.m. VIII. Old Business 7:27 p.m. IX. New Business 7:30 p.m. A. 2014 Park & Trail Dedication Fees X. Other Business and Reports 7:45 p.m. A. Eagan Community Center, Cascade Bay, and Civic Arena Division Reports XI. Communications 8:00 p.m. XII. Round Table 8:05 p.m. XIII. Adjournment 8:10 p.m. The City of Eagan is committed to the policy that all persons have equal access to its programs, services, activities, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or status with regard to public assistance. Auxiliary aids for disabled persons wishing to participate are available upon request at least 96 hours in advance of the event. If a notice of less than 96 hours is received, the City will attempt to provide the aids. Next Advisory Parks Commission Joint Meeting with the Energy and Environment Advisory Commission - Active Living/Complete Streets: Tuesday October 8th, 2013 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers TO: Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission (APrC) FROM: Juli Seydell Johnson, Director of Parks and Recreation DATE: September 12, 2013 SUBJECT: Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting September 16, 2013 A meeting of the Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission (APrC) will take place on Monday, September 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. To ensure that a quorum is present, please contact Juli Seydell Johnson at (651) 675-5006 or jsjohnson@cityofeagan.com or Amy Grannes (651) 675-5322 agrannes@cityofeagan.com if you are unable to attend this meeting. I. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND ROLL CALL II. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA The agenda, as presented or modified, is in order for adoption by the Commission. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - Pages 3-6 The minutes of the July 15th, 2013 meeting, pending any modifications, are in order for adoption by the Commission. IV. VISITORS TO BE HEARD The Eagan City Council and its Commissions set aside up to ten minutes at the beginning of public meetings to permit visitors to address items of interest that are not addressed on the regular agenda. Items that will take more than ten minutes or that require specific action can be scheduled for a future meeting agenda. V. DIRECTOR’S UPDATE - Pages 7-8 Director Johnson will provide a brief overview of the Park and Recreation’s department happenings for the month. VI. CONSENT AGENDA There are no new consent agenda items to be discussed at this time. VII. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS There are no new development proposals to be discussed at this time. VIII. OLD BUSINESS There are no old business items to be discussed at this time. IX. NEW BUSINESS – Pages 9-10 The Advisory Commission to review the Parks and Trails Dedication annual fees and makes a recommendation to the City Council. A background report is provided outlining options for the 2014 Parks and Trails Dedication fees. X. OTHER BUSINESS AND REPORTS Staff will be present to provide an update on the Eagan Community Center, Cascade Bay, and the Civic Arena. Advisory Parks Commission September 16, 2013 Page 1 XI. COMMUNICATIONS There are no communication items to be discussed at this time. XII. ROUND TABLE The Roundtable is scheduled as an opportunity for Commissioners to ask questions, make requests for future agenda items, or provide informative updates to the Commission pertaining to energy and environment initiatives. XIII. ADJOURNMENT /s/Juli Seydell Johnson Director of Parks and Recreation Advisory Parks Commission September 16, 2013 Page 2 Subject to approval ADVISORY PARKS COMMISSION Monday, July 15, 2013 MINUTES OF MEETING OF JULY 15, 2013 A regular meeting of the Advisory Parks Commission was called to order at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, July 15, 2013. Commission Members present included Chair Michael Palmer, Member Dorothy Peterson, Member Andrea Todd-Harlin, Member David Wietecki, Member Dennis Thompson, Member Jerry Farlee, and Member Nathan Neumann. Staff members present Director of Parks & Recreation Juli Seydell Johnson, Superintendent of Parks Paul Olson and Office Supervisor Amy Grannes. Visitors present Lil Leatham, Landscape Architect from Hoisington Koegler Group. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Palmer asked Director Johnson if there were any changes to the agenda. Director Johnson stated there were no changes. Member Farlee moved, Member Neumann seconded, with all members present voting to adopt the agenda as presented. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES Member Todd-Harlin moved, Member Farlee seconded, with all present members voting in favor to approve the minutes of the May 20, 2013 APrC workshop and meeting and the minutes from the special meeting on June 17, 2013, as presented. VISITORS TO BE HEARD There were no visitors to be heard on items that were not on the agenda. DIRECTORS UPDATE Director Johnson gave a brief overview of the monthly department happenings. Director Johnson stated we struggled with wet fields most of the spring and now we are struggling with dry fields. Cascade Bay was awarded the “Best Water Park in Minnesota” by WCCO viewers. This coming weekend is a busy tournament weekend we will be hosting two different national tournaments, one for fast pitch softball and one for baseball. Market Fest is every Wednesday night we had record attendance last week at our family event with more events coming up. July 31 is Latino night with salsa band and dancing lessons. There is a new item about Market Fest, there are five certified produce vendors that now accept The Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program checks and the WIC program checks which local families on state food assistance receive and can use to by the produce at the market. Blue Cross Blue Shield has a similar program for their employees; they give vouchers for employees to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables. We are midway on the 10th anniversary celebration at the Eagan Community Center each month there is a new promotion. This month they are collecting donations for Dakota Woodlands and will be celebrating with a pajama party in The Blast this month. Coming up on September 15th is a new event for the City of Eagan we are combining Showcase Eagan with a new event called Streets Alive. The streets will be closed for motorized vehicles and open for bikes, strollers, rollerblades, and walkers. There will booths for all City Services, Commissions and Community groups. CONSENT AGENDA There were no consent agenda items to be discussed at this time. Advisory Parks Commission September 16, 2013 Page 3 Advisory Parks Commission July 15, 2013 Page 2 DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL There were no development proposals to be discussed at this time. OLD BUSINESS There were no old business items to be discussed at this time. NEW BUSINESS Lil Leatham, Landscape Architect from Hoisington Koegler Group representing Dakota County gave a presentation on the Mendota-Lebanon Hills Greenway resolution. The proposed greenway is an identified unit of the metropolitan Regional Park System Plan and will establish a link between the North Urban Regional Trail and Lebanon Hills Regional Park through the communities of Mendota Height, Inver Grove Heights, and Eagan. Lil Leatham went through the specific project details and provided location maps. After brief discussion from Commission Members, Member Peterson moved, Member Todd-Harlin seconded, with all members voting in favors to recommend the resolution as presented to the City Council for approval. 2014 – 2018 Capital Improvement Plan was reviewed. Superintendent Olson review projects included in the plan for 2014. Projects for 2014 were Lexington-Diffley Fields scoreboard improvements. Holz Farm phase III – demolition of the Cliff Road house, Moonshine Park development plan, Quarry Park improvements, Thresher Fields drainage system, Thresher Fields parking expansion, dugout roof upgrades at site to be determined, playground installation at site to be determined, and an allotment for small projects were also included. After the presentation Member Todd-Harlin moved for approval, Member Farlee seconded, with all members present voting to recommend the Capital Improvement Plan as presented to the City Council for approval. Superintendent Olson reviewed the next agenda item regarding Verizon’s lease request at Rahn Park and the Highline Trial. Superintendent Olson stated Verizon is proposing to install new cellular antennas on an existing Xcel Energy transmission tower within the Rahn Park section of the Highline Trail Corridor. Because the installation will require that Verizon lease park ground space from the City to install the require ground based equipment, the APrC is being asked for comment upon the request to negotiate a lease. After brief discussion from Commission Members, Member Peterson moved, Member Thompson seconded, with all member present voting to make the following recommendation to the City Council: 1. Recommend proceeding with negotiations on a telecommunications lease for ground space in Rahn Park located at 4425 Sandstone Drive as requested by Verizon in conjunction with the installation of telecommunications antennas on Xcel pole #142, all to be consistent with the terms and conditions of the appropriate City telecommunications lease and pending review of the City Attorney, City staff and City telecommunications consultant. Director Johnson gave a brief overview of the next agenda item the 2014 Fee Schedule. The APrC is asked to annually review the fees charged for private use of park facilities and recreation equipment. The City Council establishes fees each year after receiving a recommendation from the APrC. The fee schedule was increased 3% from 2012 to 2013 to offset increased operating expenses. The proposed 2014 fees remain the same as 2013. After brief discussion from Commission Members, Member Todd-Harlin moved, to recommend the 2014 fee schedule and to including the addition of the damage deposit for athletic field users as presented, Member Peterson seconded, with all member present voting to recommend to the City Council for approval. Director Johnson gave an overview of the 2013-2014 Work Plan that will be reviewed with the City Council during a workshop on August 13, 2013. After brief discussion from Commission Members, Member Advisory Parks Commission September 16, 2013 Page 4 Advisory Parks Commission July 15, 2013 Page 3 Thompson moved, Member Peterson seconded, with all member present voting to make the following recommendation to the City Council: In addition to reviewing development proposals and recommending projects for the Parks Capital Improvement Plan budget, the APrC would like to work on the following initiatives: 1. Finish construction of new park at the Nicols Ridge/Cedar Grove three-acre site area to meet the needs of the surrounding community and, in conjunction with the Eagan Historical Society, recommend a name for the park to the City Council. 2. Recommend initiatives to the City of Eagan and its constituents for an active living infrastructure. Conduct a joint meeting with the Energy and Environment Advisory Commission to discuss the following: a. Identify where the Complete Streets initiative might be implemented. b. Enhanced walking and biking routes c. Trail gaps – fill in where needed d. Safe route to school initiative e. Coordination with Dakota Trails and Greenway Development 3. Recommend initiatives to the City of Eagan and its constituents for an active living policies and programs that encourage activity following the concepts of the Healthy Eating and Active Living resolution passed by the City Council in 2012. 4. Recommend initiates to the City of Eagan and its constituents for future recreation programs and facilities to meet the following objectives: a. Meeting our projected demographics and changing resident needs b. Promotion of healthy/active living c. Partnering and coordinating with other recreation service providers to maximize service mix d. Researching interest, need and feasibility of additional facilities 5. Complete an Art Vision process that includes recommended guidelines for cultivating and installing public art in Eagan. OTHER BUSINESS AND REPORTS There were no other business items and or reports to be discussed at this time. COMMUNICATIONS There was one communication item to be discussed. Director Johnson spoke briefly about a thank you letter that was received from a new vendor thanking staff for all their help establishing Jonny Pops as an Eagan Market Fest Vendor. ROUND TABLE Chair Palmer complimented the ground crews for their work and the commented on the great shape of our fields. Chair Palmer also mentioned that fall sports sign ups are just starting up for softball and other activities and to be sure to check them out. Member Farlee stated an individual brought up question regarding the area by the Community Center at the end of the route of the Fourth of July parade. The question was can this area be mowed to allow for more room during this event. Director Johnson stated that this area is on the Lockheed Martin site and not City property. Director Johnson indicated that with all the new development in this area this could be something we can look into next year depending on the development progress. After brief discussions there were no further items to be discussed at this time. Advisory Parks Commission September 16, 2013 Page 5 Advisory Parks Commission July 15, 2013 Page 4 ADJOURNMENT With no further business to discuss, Member Peterson moved, Member Wietecki seconded with all other members present voting to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________ Secretary Date Advisory Parks Commission September 16, 2013 Page 6 Eagan Parks & Recreation Department Happenings September, 2013 Strengthen Community Image and Sense of Place  Lone Oak Days is Sat., Sept. 21 & Sun., Sept. 22 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Holz Farm. Event is free; some kid’s activities and concessions require tickets sold for $.50 at the event. Pumpkins will be for sale. Promote Health and Wellness  Join the community to celebrate Streets Alive featuring Showcase Eagan on Sun, Sept. 15 from 1-4 p.m. Park at Eagan Community Center or Byerly’s parking lot. Family walk at 1:15 p.m. starting at community center. Celebration includes 80+ interactive booths, 3 entertainment stages, fun activities and Fitness Frenzy area on Denmark near Byerly’s with Youth Zumbatomics (1:45 p.m.), Zumba (2:30 p.m.) and Yoga (3:30 p.m.). The route roads will be closed from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.  Fall softball is over half way through the season. Most fall sports are underway for basketball, flag football and volleyball. Winter sports information will be available in October with registration in November.  A number of park and boulevard trails, and parking lots, throughout the City are being overlaid as part of the City Wide pavement management plan. There may be some temporary inconvenience for users.  The logs have been shipped to the maintenance facility to begin work on the C.O.R.E. Valley outdoor exercise area at Central Park this fall.  The ECC fitness center will host a week long open house in October to invite the community to try the fitness center and take some group fitness classes.  Wednesday, October 9th with be the first of a 6 month “Healthy Conversations” series at the ECC. This series involves a partnership with Argosy University to provide free health and wellness topics for the community to attend. Protect Environmental Resources  Recreation is hosting a new youth Halloween costume swap on Sat., Oct. 12 from 10 a.m.-Noon at the Eagan Community Center gym. The event promotes recycling and reusing gently worn youth Halloween costumes and is free. Week of Oct. 7-10, public can drop off a youth costume and receive a ticket to attend the swap to pick out a new “reused” costume. Program offered in collaboration with Dakota Valley Recycling.  New tree diseases and infestations seem to be the norm. One the latest to be found in Dakota County is “BOB” (Bur Oaks Blight). Fortunately it is non-lethal. Another known as “Twig Girdler” can mimic Oak Wilt but also is non-lethal. Many are brought in inadvertently in packing materials. Residents are encouraged to explore the Forestry website if they have questions or need more information about new invaders.  It is shaping up to be a big year for Dutch Elm as nearly 200 trees have already been marked. 200 has been the normal for an entire season.  Most of the park trees damaged in the recent wind storm have been removed. The most severe damage was around Blackhawk Lake where a contractor worked for nearly a week just to clear the trail. Some landscape trees will not be replaced, some non-hazardous downed trees within woodlots will be left.  The dry conditions are impacting trees, landscapes and turf at park sites throughout the City. Time will tell what the impacts may be. Facilitate Community Connections  Eagan Market Fest continues Wednesdays in September, ending on Sept. 25. Many vendors have been reporting 2013 has been their best sales year ever at the event. The market will close at dusk (ranging from (7 p.m.-8 p.m.) as we move through the month and it gets dark earlier. Advisory Parks Commission September 16, 2013 Page 7  The ECC continues to celebrate 10 years with a special presence at Streets Alive in September, by sponsoring the Gamin Ride truck and featuring our preschool and fitness equipment in the Parks and Recreation area.  Cascade Bay partnered with the Wise Swim School for swim lessons. 115 participants enrolled in the 2013 season; slightly down from last year but still encouraging numbers.  The 8th annual Harvest of Art Celebration at the Eagan Art House was a great success. Nearly 500 people attended, a 22% increase over last year. The crowd enjoyed our art exhibit of 43 artists, music, artist demos, and ice cream.  The public art piece, “Metamorphosis” has been installed at the Eagan Art House. Over 20 feet high, weighing nearly 4,000 pounds and sporting a Chevy Red paint job, the sculpture creates an unmatched awareness of the site and the of vitality of our community. Mayor Mike Maguire dedicated the sculpture by local artist, Melvin Smith. Provide Recreation Experiences  Installation of the new playground at Evergreen Park is nearly complete. Work will start soon on a play area/exercise course at the Community Center.  The installation of a new rain/shade shelter at the Thresher Fields Off-Leash dog area is nearly complete.  Some preparatory work has started at the new Nicols Ridge Park site. Grading is delayed until the MPCA approves the contingency plans for any contamination that may be found. All preliminary tests were negative.  The Minnesota Off Road Cyclists in partnership with the City have started the next phase of improvements to the bike area at the Lexington Diffley Fields. The focus is on correcting drainage issues.  Turf work continues on a number of athletic sites that are being “rested” this fall including Northview Soccer, Central Park and half of Thresher Fields.  The cities of Eagan & Burnsville will be hosting their first Pickleball tournament on Tuesday, September 17th at North River Hills in Burnsville. Tournament starts at 8:30 a.m. with 14 mixed Pickleball teams signed up as of Tuesday Sept. 10th (registration ends Thursday, Sept. 12th). A BBQ lunch with hot dogs and other food/beverages will be provided. Entry fee is $20 per team with snacks and lunch provided.  Eagan Pickleball will move indoors starting September 24th at the ECC. Open Pickleball will take place every Tuesday & Thursday 9-11 a.m. The fee is $3 per visit. A couple of nets will be left out at Sky Hill for players who want to enjoy the fall weather.  Fall ice skating lessons have begun at the Eagan Civic Arena. Many classes are filled and registration for Winter 1 session begins October 10.  Cascade Bay had a very successful finish to the 2013 season. Despite the rainy June and couple cool weeks in August, the extended season helped surpass revenue from 2012 season! Kudos to Staff  Melinda Dutcher, a Guest Service staff member at the ECC, stands out as a helpful, courteous resource for brides at the community center. Several brides have called to let Melissa Wind know how wonderful she is and her name was specifically mentioned on a recent survey from a bride. Advisory Parks Commission September 16, 2013 Page 8 AGENDA ITEM: IX.A – 2014 Parks & Trails Dedication Fees TO: Advisory Parks Commission PREPARED BY: Juli Seydell Johnson, Director of Parks & Recreation BACKGROUND/HISTORY: When reviewing development proposals, the APrC makes a recommendation regarding the method of satisfying park and trail dedication requirements, the two options being a land dedication or cash payment. Cash park dedications are the primary source of revenue for the Park Site Fund. Trail dedication is allocated to the City trail fund. Each year it is the responsibility of the APrC to review dedication rates and make a recommendation to the Council for the upcoming year DISCUSSION/EVALUATION: Based upon legislation, a local unit of government must be able to demonstrate a justifiable method of calculating park dedication linked to property value. The City has long had a basic formula for calculating residential dedication that incorporates a property value variable. In 2005, staff completed an update of the value base to ensure consistency with the assessed valuations. Nearly 1000 properties were reviewed, the resulting averages leading to a significant rate increase in nearly every zoning classification for 2006 and improved adherence to actual values. In early 2007, in light of the new legislation, the City developed and implemented a user/value based formula for Commercial/Industrial properties, replacing “net acres”. Over the course of the year, the formula was reviewed by staff, the APrC, and City Council to determine if it met the intended objectives. It was subsequently revised and approved by the City Council at their September 4, 2007 meeting. Since that time, when determining the recommended adjustment for the residential dedication rates, staff reviews County data to obtain the estimated property valuation adjustment the County may use for property taxes payable on Eagan properties in the coming year. The City Finance staff is consulted to ensure consistency with valuations used to determine the City wide tax capacity as required for City budgeting purposes. Any percentage increase is applied to the revised value base used for calculating dedication. This method is intended to avoid a lag in rates and to ensure a justifiable basis for the dedication fees consistent with the legislation. Based upon the input of the County, dedication rates for 2007 were raised by approximately 5% while the rates for 2008 -2013 have remained unchanged. The most recent projections developed by the City Finance staff are that property values are moving back towards 2005 levels but may actually equate to 03/04 levels due to the higher value of new development. In light of the steady but slow recovery in the housing market, the associated impact in property values, and the data provided by the Finance Department, it may be appropriate to consider keeping the 2014 park and trail dedication rates unchanged from those approved for 2013. It should be noted for reference that many communities combine parks and trail dedication fees into a single blended rate and do not differentiate in MEMO Date: September 16, 2013 Agenda Item: IX.A - Park & Trails Dedication Fees Action: x Information: x Attachments: ITEM OVERVIEW: Recommend to the City Council the park and trail dedication fees for 2014 Advisory Parks Commission September 16, 2013 Page 9 the residential classifications. Because the administration of the trail development program in Eagan is assigned to the Engineering Department, segregation of the park and trail fees is appropriate. 2013 approved 2014 proposed Parks Trails Parks Trails Single Family $3308 per unit $ 250 per unit Same Same Duplex $ 3258 per unit $ 250 per unit Same Same Townhouse/Quad $ 3458 per unit $ 250 per unit Same Same Apartment/Multi $3212 per unit $ 250 per unit Same Same Commercial $869 per 1000 sq.ft. of bldg $1251 per net acre Same Same Industrial $236 per 1000 sq.ft. of bldg $1251 per net acre Same Same C/I prior to 1983 $2618 per net acre $1251 per net acre Same Same ALTERNATIVES FOR COMMISSION CONSIDERATION: 1. Recommend that the City Council adopt the 2014 parks and trails dedication rate schedule as presented with no change from the 2013 rates. 2. Recommend that the City Council adopt an amended parks and trails dedication rate schedule for 2014. 3. Other. Advisory Parks Commission September 16, 2013 Page 10