04/18/1985 - Advisory Parks & Recreation Commission (2)
MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
ADVISORY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION
EAGAN, MINNESOTA
APRIL 18, 1985
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 by Chairman Martin. Present were
members Caponi, Ketcham, Martin, Thurston, Kubik, Alt and Fedde. Absent were
members Bertz, Carroll and Masin. Ken Vraa, Parks & Recreation Director;
Stephen Sullivan, Landscape Architect; Scott Morgan, Parks Intern; and Liz
Witt, Administrative Assistant, were also present.
ATHLETIC SITE:
Parks & Recreation Director Vraa stated he has not received the appraisal on
the athletic site as yet. It will probably be ready by Monday, April 22. He
said the Opus Corporation has approached the City with the possibility of a 26
acre site in the vicinity of I-35E and the Eagan bulk mail facility. Opus
said they would assist with access to the site and might give the land via the
park dedication process. Director Vraa will discuss the proposal and obtain
some cost figures. He will prepare an item for the next Commission meeting
with costs for both sites.
Steve Sullivan then described the analysis for the proposed site near Cliff
and Dodd Roads. Most slopes are 5-10% with a 20% slope by the pond. Drainage
is to the pond which is part of the municipal drainage system. A well might
have to be drilled because the site is fairly arid and irrigation is a must.
The City should explore the possibility of using the pond as a source of
water. Grading will involve about 65,000-75,000 cubic yards which falls
within a normal range. The County has given a tentative okay to access the
site from Cliff Road. The County plans a trail along the south side of Cliff
while the City plans a trail along the north side.
Director Vraa will present concept plans on the Opus site as well as all cost
information at the next Commission meeting.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Director Vraa presented the 1985-89 C.I.P. for the Parks & Recreation
Department. He projected a total of approximately $10,000,000. Two million
dollars of capital improvements will come through the land dedication process.
Four and one-third million will come from the park bond passed in 1984. He
continued saying about one million would come from the park site fund while
grants will account for about $800,000. The Director explained there are
unknown and interdependent activities which affect the "unfunded dollar"
amount and the cycle of activities.
When asked about the costs for the new athletic site, Director Vraa said they
will probably appear after the five year C.I.P. period. When questioned about
a more immediate need for an athletic site, Ken said that Northview and Rahn
Parks should satisfy community needs through 1989, but that the City may need
to move on the development of the third site by 1990. He asked that
Commission members bring any comments they have regarding the C.I.P. to the
joint Commission meeting on April 24.
1
OTHER
A. Park planning cooperative - A joint meeting is scheduled at Eagan City
Hall on Wednesday, April 24. Commission members were requested to attend.
B. The bid opening for Schwanz (Trapp Farm), Goat Hill, Walnut Hill and Fish
Lake Parks will be April 19. Director Vraa announced that 29 plan holders
have requested specs.
C. Director Vraa also announced that the Council approved the
architect selection process. The Committee to make the selection should be
formed very soon. Chairman Martin suggested that Ted Wachter might be
interested in serving on the selection committee. He said he would contact
Ted to see if he would participate.
D. The ceremony to celebrate the "lights turn on" at Northview Park will be
held on May 9 at approximately 8:15 P.M..
E. Commercial /industrial dedication fee - In response to a question, Director
Vraa reviewed the commercial dedication fee for the Commission. The
Council voted to require a 50% commercial/industrial dedication for plats
priorto 1-1-83 and replats. The Director stated he was in support of this
change because of the uncertainty of platted and replats for commercial
property.
F. Park shelter buildings - Director Vraa stated that the Special Issues
Committee is looking at what to do with some of the existing park buildings
which are no longer repairable and will have to be replaced. The Committee is
looking into the possibility of having the vocational school take on the
project who might be able to construct a generic type building. The Committee
has also suggested that staff review the issue with the "to be selected"
architect. A third alternative is to utilize the design/build structures that
District 196 has for temporary class rooms.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 P.M.
Dated : 12<1 Advisory Parks & Recreation Secretary