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05/04/1989 - Advisory Parks & Recreation Commission MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION EAGAN, MINNESOTA NAY 4, 1989 A regular meeting of the Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission was called to order at 7:30 P.M. on Thursday, May 4, 1989 with the following Commission Members present: Wayne Sames, Dick Carroll, Sandy Masin, Ted Billy, and Jack Johnson. Staff present included Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation; Dorothy Peterson, Recreation Supervisor; John VonDeLinde, Parks Superintendent and Cherryl Mesko, Secretary. AGENDA Dick Carroll, noting that the planned park tour had been omitted added a water quality update as item number 7 under "Other Business and Reports". Sandy Masin moved, Ted Billy seconded with all members voting in favor to accept the agenda as amended. MINUTES FROM APRIL 6, 1989 MEETING Sandy Masin noted that the last paragraph on Page 1, line 2 needed to be changed to read "Mr. Kubik noted that the park needs to be a good neighbor....". Jack Johnson moved, Wayne Sames seconded with all members voting in favor to accept the minutes as amended. CONSENT AGENDA Mr. Vraa noted that there were no consent agenda items for the Commission to review. HILLS OF STONEBRIDGE - 2ND ADDITION Ken Vraa explained that Stonebridge 2nd addition was part of the Eagan Hills Farm PUD which consisted of approximately 400+ acres. The Hills of Stonebridge PD was approved in September, 1987. Parks dedication was partially fulfilled with a cash contribution, land dedication and rough grading of Bridle Ridge Park. The remaining parkland to be dedicated consists of lineal greenways throughout the PD dedicated at the time of platting. This application included two greenways described as parks 4 and 5 and within the PD agreement. Mr. Vraa noted that the city will acquire the remaining part of park #4 at the time of platting and staff suggests not accepting park #5, recommending that the developer run the lot lines into the pond area which would leave the ownership of the pond to the lot owners. Planning and engineering staff have recommended that a road connection be incorporated into the plat connecting Street A to Northview Road. Staff's evaluation concludes minimal impact will result to the proposed parkland by including this trail link. The engineering of the road will need to provide a pedestrian corridor continuous with the ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 4, 1989 MEETING PAGE 2 proposed park parcel #4 above the adjacent pond's high water elevation and connection to Northview Road boulevard trail. Dick Carroll noted that park #4 was part of a lineal park that goes almost all the way to the high school and that a trail linkage would provide good pedestrian flow. Wayne Sames asked if it would be difficult to place a trail on the steep slopes of park #4 and Mr. Carroll noted that it would need to be placed on the north side and would be more of a hiking trail. Jack Johnson asked if by extending the lot lines in park #5 would the responsibility for maintaining shoreline be on the homeowners. Mr. Vraa answered affirmatively. Mr. Johnson then concluded that he did not see any more use for park #5. After further discussion Dick Carroll moved that the plat be accepted with the elimination of Park #5 because of the limitations for use of the park, i.e. the pond is subject to elevation change and does not provide sufficient space on the rear lot lines to allow for a trail. The motion further provided for a connector road between Northview Park Road and Street A. The new connector road is to be planned so as to not impinge on park #4 and the trailway is to be planned to provide safety for children using the trail. The motion was seconded by Wayne Sames with all members voting in favor. FACILITIES STANDARDS Based on last month's meeting, Mr. Vraa stated that staff thought demographics would be easy to track in completing this report however the figures that are available through planning have not tied into the Park Service District guidelines. Ken asked that this report be postponed until the June commission meeting. EAA/RAAA UPDATE Dorothy Peterson stated that three weeks ago there was another meeting with RAAA, EAA and School District 196 to review the use of fields being used by the hundreds and hundreds of kids playing on city and school district fields. The numbers of participants is astounding - over 3800 kids. Dorothy noted that the good news is that because of the demand for fields there is creative use of space and new ideas being used to facilitate all the use. At the end of the season there will be a meeting with VAA, BAC and any other organizations that tie in with Eagan youth to try to resolve scheduling issues. Everything is going well at this time. Dick Carroll noted that it was great for the programs to solve these problems jointly. Wayne Sames asked if Rosemount and Apple Valley are adding new facilities to help with the field scheduling problem. Mr. Vraa stated that all of the communities have had to take fields out of commission this season because of the damage from last summer and that has complicated the field ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 4, 1989 MEETING PAGE 3 availability issue. Mr. Carroll thanked Dorothy for the very comprehensive report and continuing communication with the various organizations. LAWCON/LCMR John VonDeLinde stated that the City has previously submitted grant applications to the State for LAWCON/LCMR funds through the new entitled DIED (Department of Trade and Economic Development). One of the changes to the types of eligible facilities and nature of ranking include playground equipment, benches, bleachers, grills, picnic tables and so on. Another change includes the addition of golf courses and land acquisition for community centers. This means a broader range of applications, in comparison to past years, might be considered. This would mean that projects such as athletic sites or neighborhood parks should be more competitive under this new system. If the funding is similar to 1989, than only about $350,000 will be available in federal funds to Minnesota's communities. On the state side no funding has been included in the state's bonding bill thus far. The funding outlook is that grants will again be extremely competitive with the percentage of successful proposals likely to be in the single digits. The bottom line is that there is a limited number of dollars in grants that will be awarded. The process will include submitting a preliminary application and then submitting a final application if the preliminary application meets the criteria. John noted that the Lexington/Diffley athletic site could be a candidate for grant monies. The maximum grant limit is $300,000. Wayne Sames noted that the largest grant issued last year was for $219,000 with the amounts usually in the $50,000 - 100,000 range. Wayne Sames stated he would excuse himself from voting since he was involved in the reviewal process for these grants. Ted Billy asked Wayne if there would be a problem with his involvement in the reviewal process. Wayne noted that he was very involved in that process but would ask someone else to take the lead in the initial review process once the City had submitted a grant application. After further discussion, Ted Billy moved to have the Parks and Recreation Department submit one or more applications to DIED for park development. Sandy Masin seconded the motion. Jack Johnson amended the motion by adding that one application be submitted for the Lexington/Diffley site and leave other choices open as options. The amended motion was accepted by all members with Wayne Sames abstaining. NORTHVIEW MEADOWS Ken Vraa noted that Engineering has initiated a contract for storm sewer improvements located in the trail corridor from Trapp Farm Park to the Northview Meadows subdivision. During heavy rains, the down stream storm sewer was overburdened and water backed up through a catch basin located at the corner of ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 4, 1989 MEETING PAGE 4 Trenton and Wescott Hills Drive. The water inundates the intersection at over a 2' depth then proceeds to run along the trail corridor and between lots 11 and 12 resulting in extensive erosion. The project will not fully correct the conditions of the one hundred year storm within this area but should control it. One of the options Engineering looked at was to replace existing pipe with larger pipe however that would involve several hundred feet of pipe and would be cost prohibitive. Another option would be to create a new retention area by grading within the road right of way. This hollow would hold the anticipated volume of water with a one hundred year frequency storm. No storm water would outflow down the sledding hill into Trapp Farm Park. The duration of the temporary ponding would be for no longer than 24 hours. Sandy Masin asked why this had occurred and Mr. Vraa stated that there were not accurate calculations in determining what the water shed would be. Wayne Sames asked if this flooding had occurred only once and Mr. Vraa stated that it has happened twice in the same location and there have been severe wash outs at Trapp Farm Park. After further discussion, Wayne Sames moved, Dick Carroll seconded with all members voting in favor to accept the proposed drainage plan for Improvement Contract 88-29. CONTRACT 89-12 Ken Vraa stated that Contract 89-12 had been awarded to Finley Brothers Enterprises in the amount of $283,675 plus Alternate #3 which is the 11th court and Alternate #7 which is for PVC piping for electrical for a total contract amount of approximately $303,000. The school district will be paying $192,000 of the total contract amount. Staff is pleased with the results of the bid and is looking forward to beginning this project. Alternate #1 for windscreens was not awarded because of possible cost overruns. If some of the estimated costs come in less than anticipated it may be possible to provide for the windscreens at that time. Mr. Vraa noted that all additions will be added into the contract and he is hopeful that the school district will approve the contract on Monday, May 8. WESCOTT STATION PARK Mr. Vraa noted that there was an excellent response to this neighborhood meeting with 25-30 people attending. The participants were asked to write down the issues that were important to them for this park, i.e. what was necessary, what was desireable and what their concerns were. The information provided will be very helpful in putting together the concept plans. Three concept plans will be done and presented to the residents in late June or early July for their comments and input. ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 4, 1989 MEETING PAGE 5 HAPPENINGS Dick Carroll noted that there were 100 coaches certified in the NYSCA training program and commented that this was a very worthwhile effort. Wayne Sames asked what the percentage of cost would be to EAA regarding portable toilets at various locations. Dorothy responded that EAA would sustain the costs for portable toilets at school sites and the City would sustain the costs at the park sites. Dick Carroll also reminded the Commission of the upcoming Fun Run on May 6. Dorothy Peterson noted that everything is ready to go and they are getting help from the JC's, Girl Scouts, Civil Air Patrol and some of the Commission members. Mr. Carroll also reminded the Commission of Dorothy Peterson Day on Monday, May 8th at Northview Park. Mr. Carroll asked if the turf maintenance has been improving. John VonDeLinde noted that Walnut Hill is a prime example of how things are going this spring. Walnut is improving very well however, some other areas such as Carnelian and parts of O'Leary are not coming back so quickly. Some areas may need to be overseeded in order to be brought back to an acceptable condition. Dick Carroll commented that he has been embarrassed to see what has been deposited on park and private property by construction workers. Dick Carroll moved, Wayne Sames seconded with all members voting in favor to recommend to City Staff that the looks of Eagan be improved. Ken Vraa commented that staff has been frustrated too at Northview Park and has found it necessary to clean up the area of construction debris that has blown from construction sites. It was suggested that a letter go out to building contractors regarding the overall look of Eagan and the proper disposal of construction debris. In answer to a question, John VonDeLinde noted that the park identification signs will not be placed at sites that are not ready for public use. John VonDeLinde noted that Commission Members wanting to see the winning Arbor Day posters may do so before they leave this evening but the winners haven't all been notified as yet thus the winners should not be shown at this time. Dick Carroll asked how the Arbor Day celebration went and John responded that it was cold and miserable but 60-70 people braved the weather and participated. It was a very successful event. John also noted that Eagan was given the proclamation for Tree City designation for the 2nd year in a row. INSTRUMENTS OF EAGAN Instruments of Eagan has approached the City of Eagan Parks and Recreation Department for help in getting their organization up and running. They have not indicated exactly what their needs are at this point but Mr. Vraa has indicated ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 4, 1989 PAGE 6 that a cash outlay would not be an option. Perhaps the department could look at other options such as the use of a stage, sound system, etc. PILOT KNOB SCHOOL - PLAY AREA EXPANSION Ken Vraa explained that the school wanted to expand the play area at the school. The cost they are anticipating would be approximately $7500. They have asked the department to help coordinate this effort. FIRE STATION IMPROVEMENTS (#4 AND 5) Ken noted that there would be a neighborhood meeting on Thursday, May 11th to discuss the improvements that would be impacting the neighborhood adjacent to fire station 4 and 5. PARK REPRESENTATIVE MEETING The park representative meeting held on May 3 was attended by a very enthusiastic crowd. The issues covered included park maintenance and water sampling to be done by the park representatives. GRAND OPENING - THOMAS LAKE PARK The grand opening for Thomas Lake Park has been scheduled for June 25th. More information will be forthcoming. WATER QUALITY Dick Carroll brought the Commission up to date on the latest meeting regarding water quality. This meeting was designed to bring in developers and get their input. The developers attending this first meeting were very receptive to helping with the water quality issue. They were also looking for the costs that would be involved in implementing this program but understood the difficulty in having those numbers provided at this time. Dick indicated that this is a long and tedious process but it is well worth the time and effort being expended to complete it. He noted it was a pleasure to work on such a committee. John VonDeLinde stated that the people that had volunteered to help with the water sampling were very enthusiastic about helping and were wanting to get their whole family involved in water quality. Ken Vraa indicated that there would be a Dakota County Trails meeting on June 15, 1989. The location has not been finalized as yet, however it will probably be at the library. ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 4, 1989 MEETING PAGE 7 With no further business to conduct, Sandy Masin moved, Jack Johnson seconded with all members voting in favor to adjourn. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 P.M. ZZ& ECRETARY DA S I