Loading...
03/28/1985 - Advisory Parks & Recreation Commission MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE ADVISORY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION EAGAN, MINNESOTA MARCH 28, 1985 The meeting was called to order by Chairman Martin at 7:05 P.M. Members present were: Caponi, Martin, Alt, Carroll, Masin, Kubik and Fedde. Commission members Ketcham, Thurston and Bertz had notified the Commission they would be unable to attend. Also present were Parks & Recreation Director, Ken Vraa; Landscape Architect, Steve Sullivan; Administrative Assistant, Liz Witt, Program Director, Dorothy Peterson and Parks Intern, Scott Morgan. Roger Sjobeck and Bob Kline made presentations to the Commission. ARCHITECTURAL PROGRAM -ROGER SJOBECK Roger Sjobeck, architect on the Kehne house, spoke to the Commission rgarding architectural considerations for park structures and pavilions. He suggested a building concept be utilized keeping in mind the particular theme of a park. He said the design should be simple and to remember that form follows function, not the other way around. He emphasized that when making cost comparisons, all costs have to be considered. These costs not only include construction costs but costs for maintenance and operations. All too often, many costs are not included as in some pre-fab structures. Commission member Caponi was concerned with costs. He said a good design would also be economical. Replaceability of materials must also be considered. He said an architect could use pre-fab products in his or her design and be responsible for associated costs. In response to an inquiry about preferred building materials, Roger Sjobeck said masonry walls are desirable and harder to vandalize. Interior floors should be concrete or quarry tile. Inside walls could be the same as outside walls e.g., burnished block. The ceiling could be sheet rock; light fixtures should be vandal proof and bathroom fixtures of aluminum alloy. He said a fireplace of fieldstone would be feasible. Chairman Martin suggested that Eagan residents contribute stones to the fireplace structure, giving them "ownership" and decreasing the likelihood of vandalism. Mr. Sjobeck noted that when considering a fireplace you have a "right" setting. The length of time a building is in use throughout the year is also a factor. 1 Adv. Parks & Rec. Comm. March 28, 1985 Mr. Sjobeck does not think it a good idea to experiment with untried materials but to go with proven durability. Commission member Kubik said he would like to see more innovation in the park structure. He thought the material should be of a different substance than found at home or in the office. He said there was an exterior spray being tested that has an almost ceramic finish. He felt that people needed an "adventure" when going to the park. Sandy Masin requested that specific buildings be suggested for Commission members to view. Other members agreed and Mr. Sjobeck will provide Director Vraa with such a list. SLIDE PRESENTATION - STEVE SULLIVAN Landscape architect, Steve Sullivan, showed slides of park structures and buildings taken throughout the metropolitan area. Commission members noted time periods for certain type structure, e.g. small high windows with high pi-tched roofs. An open structure with an unusual . shape (i.e. hexagon) was -preferred by many members. PREDESIGNED STRUCTURES - BOB KLINE PRESENTATION Bob Kline, of Cedar Forest Products Company, presented some slides and distributed a company brochure. Cedar Forest uses a five-piece laminated cedar siding with tongue-in-groove installation. The wood is dry kilned to about 12% moisture content and meets energy requirements. He noted that concrete, heating, plumbing and electrical costs are not included in estimated costs of construction. His company has a large catalog of basic plans available which will adapt to specific conditions. He noted that the paired hexagon structures in Burnsville cost an additional $2,000 to get the plan to work for that site. Mr. Kline said that his company could supply an architect or it could work with a City architect. Commission members expressed appreciation to Mr. Kline for his presentation. FOREST RIDGE ADDITION - G.H. GUSTAFSON Director Vraa said that the developer was coming in with smaller buildings for the site. He said the building footprint was being reduced by about 15% which greatly increased the green space. He thought the developer will eventually change the units to condominiums. He felt that another consideration in changing the buildings was the decrease in the amount of grading for the project. Director Vraa did not think it necessary to revise the earlier commission recommendation for cash and trails for park dedication. The Commission took no action to revise its dedication recommendation. PROCESS FOR ARCHITECT SELECTION Commission members discussed their role in building design. Commission member Masin said she would like to see more buildings, as those shown in the slides were not ones she liked. Commission member Kubik agreed. He said the Adv. Parks & Rec. Comm. March 28, 1985 buildings will be around a long time and there should be a wide choice from which to make a selection. He continued by saying the Commmission needed to look at alternatives. There was general discussion by the Commission on how best to proceed. Director Vraa asked if the Commission wanted to hire an architect to lead members through the design selection process - design, material and cost. George Kubik felt a professional could help the Commission sort out its options. Tony Caponi said that the person hired must represent the City's interests. Director Vraa said he would bring information/recommendation regarding the process and the time line to the April 4th meeting. ADJOURNMENT The remaining items of business were held over to April 4, and the meeting was adjourned at 9:45 P.M. Dated: ;/Advisory Parks and Recreation Secretary it 3