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10/04/1990 - Advisory Parks & Recreation Commission MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION EAGAN, MINNESOTA OCTOBER 4,1990 A regular meeting of the Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission was called to order at 7:30 P.M. on Thursday, October 4, 1990 with the following Commission Members present: Ted Billy, George Kubik, Michele Swanson, Shawn Hunter and Jack Johnson. Commission Members Dick Carroll and John Griggs were not present. Staff present included Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation; Stephen Sullivan, Landscape Architect/Parks Planner; Dorothy Peterson, Recreation Supervisor II; John VonDeLinde, Parks Superintendent; Jon Oyanagi, Recreation Supervisor and Cherryl Mesko, Secretary. AGENDA Director Vraa asked that "Private Encroachment/Carlson Lake Park" be added as item #3 under New Business. Shawn Hunter moved, Ted Billy seconded with all members voting in favor to accept the agenda as amended. MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 6, 1990 Ted Billy moved, Michele Swanson seconded with all members voting in favor to accept the minutes as presented. MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 24, 1990 Shawn Hunter moved, Ted Billy seconded with all members voting in favor to accept the minutes as presented. CONSENT AGENDA Shawn Hunter moved, Ted Billy seconded with all members voting in favor to recommend the following to the City Council: 1. HELLER ADDITION - PRELIMINARY PLAT. That Lots 1, 3 and 4 be subject to a cash parkland dedication and that Lots 1, 3 and 4 be subject to a cash trailway dedication. MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT PLAN John VonDeLinde explained that the packet contained background review of the maintenance management program along with an executive summary for the Commission to review. He stated he was not going to get into a discussion regarding this issue at this time, however he suggested that the Commission set a special meeting date to review this plan. John also provided each Commission member with a bound notebook containing the proposed maintenance management plan and suggested that the Commission members focus on the introduction for each section in the plan rather than try to read the entire plan before the special meeting. After further discussion a special meeting date was scheduled for Wednesday, October 24 at 7:00 P.M. George Kubik stressed the importance of reviewing the plan before the October 24th meeting. ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF OCTOBER 4, 1990 MEETING PAGE 2 RECREATION FEE ASSISTANCE Dorothy Peterson explained that requests have come in during the year asking for financial assistance for several programs. Staff received $300 from the Town Centre Trust Fund which was to be designated for families asking for financial assistance for playground activities. The requests for assistance, however did not come from the playground activities, rather requests were made for financial help for preschool programs, T- Ball and Tiny Tots activities. At this time staff feels the need to formalize this issue to establish a consistent procedure in dealing with requests for financial assistance. Dorothy stated that the four primary issues include 1) Source of Funding 2) Eligibility 3) Scope of Assistance and 4) Legal/Privacy Issues. Staff has completed a survey of neighboring communities to see how they handled this situation and found a wide range of options. Some communities use city funds exclusively, while some solicit donations. Regarding eligibility, some communities require a written request that explains the circumstances and the amount the individual is comfortable paying. In another case, eligibility is based on the school lunch reduced fee program. In most cases the communities surveyed have developed a formal application procedure and the recreation staff is most commonly approving or denying scholarship funding. The scope of assistance varies by community however most communities place a cap on the amount of money that is distributed, i.e. $100 per child per year. Dorothy continued that another aspect for the Commission to consider included the privacy issue. She stated that staffs perceived need for a policy regarding recreation fee assistance does not stem from concerns that abuses will occur or that eligibility needs to be narrowly defined. The impetus for establishing a policy is rooted in finite resources and how best to provide an opportunity to participate, for even a little while. George Kubik asked how time payments would work and would they cause an administrative burden. Dorothy explained that this is being done currently where an applicant will pay for a portion of the fee at registration and the balance when the actual class begins. George then asked if it was necessary for the City to know the applicant's income, stating that he preferred not to have this type of question asked. The answer to Mr. Kubik's question was in the negative. Shawn Hunter stated that he felt staffs recommendations were completely in line with what other communities were doing and felt all requests were reasonable. Ted Billy also agreed with staff's recommendations but asked that a disclaimer be included which stated that any of the provisions may be waived if staff determines there are extenuating circumstances that warrant such a change. After further discussion, Ted Billy moved, Shawn Hunter seconded with all members voting in favor to accept the following recommendations to establish a formal youth recreation fee assistance policy: 1. Respond to requests for registrations fee assistance that are presented in writing. Said request would briefly explain the circumstances that necessitate assistance. 2. The written request would identify the recreation program for which registration is desired and the amount of co-payment that can be made. 3. A maximum of $100 per youth per year, with the additional maximum of $35 per quarter is suggested. 4. Time payments would be accepted, with the stipulation that payment is completed, at a minimum, two weeks prior to the end of an activity. ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF OCTOBER 4, 1990 MEETING PAGE 3 5. Scholarship funding will be sought from civic organizations. 6. Youth must be residents of the City of Eagan. 7. In the event that the Department budget must absorb "cost" for a scholarship program, it would be in the form of reduced revenue. 8. Any of the provisions may be waived if staff determines there are extenuating circumstances that warrant such a change. George Kubik thanked Dorothy for her usual excellent job in the research and recommendations on this issue. WINTER SKATING PROGRAM - 1990-91 Ken Vraa stated that Recreation Supervisor Jon Oyanagi was present to review the 1989-90 skating season as well as present some of the alternatives for the Commission to consider for the 1990-91 season. One of the issues for the Commission to consider is the consideration for replacement of the Well Site rink. In the past this rink has had a great deal of use being designated as a free skate as well as speed skate oval. With the construction at Well Site Park continuing through the winter months this site will be unusable for the 1990-91 season. Ken continued that 3 sites have also been identified for reduced hours of use if budget constraints are an issue. Ken then turned the meeting over to Jon Oyanagi. Jon Oyanagi pointed out the location of Well Site Park as well as the 11 skating locations that had buildings and the 6 skating sites without a shelter. He continued that due to the budget concerns this is the time for the Commission to review the use of the 1989-90 locations to determine which sites will best suit the needs of residents in the 1990-91 skating season. Jon stated that the temporary loss of Well Site Park provided an opportunity to investigate other pleasure skating/speed skating opportunities. Some of the locations staff has considered included Rahn Park (on the existing soccer field), Lexington Diffley site, Woodhaven Park, Pilot Knob Park, Bridle Ridge Park and Thomas Lake. The Commission may also consider taking no action at all and waiting until the 1991-92 skating season to re-open Well Site Park. Of all the options considered it appeared that Thomas Lake would provide some innovative opportunities for pleasure skating. If this location was to be considered, however, staff would need to provide for temporary lighting and a warming shelter. Ted Billy expressed his concern for considering Thomas Lake as an alternative for Well Site because of the safety issue of skating on the lake. He felt that there would be too much liability in offering this as a skating site. Ken Vraa stated that staff was merely providing alternatives for the Commission to review and it was felt that because Thomas Lake is closer in proximity to Well Site that the transition for pleasure skaters would be minimal as opposed to directing them to another park location. George Kubik asked what the cost for the season would be if Thomas Lake was selected as the alternate pleasure skating site. Mr. Vraa responded that staff costs would be approximately $1000, trailer rental would be approximately $500 per month and temporary lighting would be $620 per month for a two lamp system and $720 per month for a 4 lamp system. Ted Billy then asked if standard equipment could be used to clear the ice and how thick would the ice have to be to allow the clearing equipment on it's surface. John VonDeLinde responded that the ice would need to be 6-7" thick before a groundsmaster would be able to comfortably operate on the surface. Mr. Vraa added that the DNR suggests that the ice thickness be 4" ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF OCTOBER 4, 1990 MEETING PAGE 4 before any type of use. Ted Billy stated there would need to be some type of system to barricade the area when the ice was determined to be unsafe. George Kubik suggested the area be posted in that instance but expressed a concern for needing someone at the site in order to insure the warnings were heeded. Jack Johnson expressed his concern for using Thomas Lake at all because of the precedent it may set. He suggested that if Thomas Lake was used perhaps residents surrounding other water bodies would then petition the City to clear and maintain their areas for skating. He said he could see many requests being received to maintain rinks on ponds throughout the City. George Kubik suggested that the City could explain that Thomas Lake was a special instance because of the disruption to the Well Site Park facility. Michele Swanson stated that she would like to see a speed skate oval placed at Woodhaven because the lights and shelter building are already in place. She also said that she would like to see the pleasure skating absorbed at existing sites rather than try to develop a new site for a single use. Further discussion by staff revealed that Woodhaven would be a possibility for a skating oval however some grading would need to occur, which could impact the softball field, in order for that to be a viable option. Rahn was also discussed as a possibility but this site too would require grading resulting in loss of turf on the soccer field. After further investigation, both of these sites were dismissed because of the impact to other program facility uses. George Kubik suggested making some adjustments to the hockey rink at Pilot Knob to allow for a skating oval there. Perhaps dismantling a portion of the hockey boards and increasing the size of the skating area would serve the purpose since the lighting and the shelter building are at this site as well. John VonDeLinde stated that this would be difficult, but possible. Jon Oyanagi expressed his concern that this site is not as visible as some of the other options presented and it may be more difficult to direct people to this location. After further discussion George Kubik moved, Shawn Hunter seconded with all members voting in favor to defer the speedskating site for the 1990-91 season and that staff pursue the possibility of using another community's facility for the 1990-91 speedskating season. Further, pleasure skating will be absorbed by existing sites in 1990-91 rather than provide a separate facility for that specific use. Both the speedskating and pleasure skating locations will be re-evaluated in the fall of 1991. Shawn Hunter moved, Ted Billy seconded with all members voting in favor to change the shelter hours at the following locations as follows: Lexington will open at 6:00 P.M. weekdays and 12:00 noon on Saturdays. Woodhaven and Pilot Knob will only be open Friday evenings and weekends. All three sites will maintain a full holiday vacation week schedule. PRIVATE ENCROACHMENTK'ARLSON LAKE PARK Ken Vraa explained that when the park site master plan was being prepared for Carlson Lake Park the boundary survey revealed that a portion of bituminous driveway, serving a private residence at 1345 Cosmos Lake, was encroaching approximately seven feet into Carlson Lake Park. This was the first time the City and the homeowner knew this situation existed. The City notified the homeowner and subsequent meetings have taken place regarding this issue. After having met with the City Attorney it appears as though there are only two alternatives for the homeowner. The first would be for the homeowner to remove the driveway completely and the second would be for the City to grant a license to the homeowner to use the property as a driveway until such time as the City chooses to revoke that license. It is the attorney's determination that the dedication language is such that the City does not have statutory authority to convert any portion of the park property to private ownership through fee simple title. Therefore, the option to sell this portion of the land or deed this portion of land to the homeowner is not a viable alternative. Mr. Vraa continued that the issues for the Commission to consider were to either have the homeowner remove the driveway completely or provide a license for the use of this driveway by the homeowner. ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF OCTOBER 4, 1990 MEETING PAGE 5 Mr. Richard James, 1345 Cosmos Lane identified himself as the homeowner in this issue. He stated that his greatest concern at this time is the potential resale of his home. He stated that if a license is issued it could not be transferred therefore would have a negative impact on the value of his home. He also stated that the relocation of his driveway would pose a hardship for him. He continued that the parkland was dedicated in March of 1973 and the home in which he lives was built in June of 1973. When the James' purchased their home a few years ago he moved from another area and a title search was done, however he did not purchase title insurance. He feels he has no recourse at this time to recoup the expenses that will be incurred with either the relocation of the driveway or the loss in resale value due to a license being issued on the property where the driveway is located. Mr. James' preference would be that the City simply move the boundary of the park so that the driveway no longer encroaches on park property. Mr. Kubik reminded Mr. James that the City attorney's opinion was that the City did not have the authority to convert any portion of the property to private ownership by simple fee title. Mr. Kubik continued that it appeared that issuing a license was the only option at this time. After further discussion George Kubik moved, Jack Johnson seconded with all members voting in favor to proceed with issuing a license for Richard James, 1345 Cosmos Lane to allow use of the driveway located on park property with the details and time frame to be worked out between staff and the City attorney. PARKS DEVELOPMENT UPDATE Steve Sullivan explained that the seeding is nearing completion at all park sites. He continued that the interior of the Bridle Ridge building is being worked on while the Northview and Ohmann buildings are enclosed. Steve continued that an RFP has been received from the current contractor at Carlson Lake Park as recommended by the Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission and approved by the Council. Steve continued that the contractor is willing to make the changes and if the agreement works out, work will begin in approximately one week. BLACKHAWK PARK Director Vraa explained that there is a significant amount of background information regarding Blackhawk Community Park which the Commission should be aware of as it deals with the planning for this park. Some of the issues that the Commission needs to consider is that the LAWCON/LCMR grant for $144,200 is due to expire on December 31, 1991. In addition, the Eagan Lions Club has indicated a willingness to help fund the construction of a shelter building in this park with a donation of $50,000. Over the past few months that amount has grown to be in excess of $100,000 but because of recent changes in the charitable gambling law, the Lions Club needs to expend those dollars prior to June 30, 1991 or face tax penalties. Another issue that appears closer to being resolved is the acquisition of property from Leo Murphy for the south road access into Blackhawk Park. Finally the Commission needs to consider the impact to surrounding neighbors. The neighbors have expressed their concerns in the past specifically regarding the construction of a parking lot and building within the park and the Commission will need to be aware of their interests and concerns as well. Ken continued that the Council's direction was that the Commission and staff develop goals and objectives for the park's design program. Ken outlined the proposed time line for design/development and completion of constructions documents for Blackhawk Park. Ken stated that more dates would need to be added as the process continued but wanted to allow the Commission some time to ask questions before setting a date for a special meeting. Ted Billy asked if the Lions Club was still asking for a building design that would facilitate the 4th of July activities as well as provide a site for Boy Scout/Girl Scout activities. Ken responded that that was originally a request made but the Lions Club has not made that a specific condition to the donation of funds for this park. Ken also stated that there is a developer who has expressed an interest in donating his help with the construction of the building if some of the identified community uses are incorporated in the plans. Ted Billy commented that with the Lions $100,000+ donation and the developer's time contribution this could have a significant impact on what is possible for this park. ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF OCTOBER 4, 1990 MEETING PAGE 6 Shawn Hunter asked if the preliminary master plan provided in the packet was a result of public input. Ken Vraa stated that this particular concept plan, which was done in 1987, was not the first one completed. The concept plan as attached in the packet was done at the time the grant application was submitted to LAWCON/LCMR. Ken continued that at one time it was anticipated that Blackhawk Park would be an active park complete with ballfields. In the recent past, however, this park has taken on a new dimension and the Commission will need to determine what kinds of facilities should be provided for in this community park. George Kubik added that this park has always been a very high priority for the Commission and one important aspect to consider is to keep the residential area surrounding the park as buffered from the site as possible. Ken stated that because of the newness of this Commission, this resource needs to be reviewed very carefully including bringing in the public for their input. Shawn Hunter asked when the access issue with Leo Murphy would be resolved. Ken stated there should be a meeting scheduled within the next week or two and hopefully this will be completely resolved within the month. After further discussion the Commission agreed to address Blackhawk Park at the special meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 24th to begin the refinement of plans for this park. It was further agreed that the time line proposed by staff would be a workable one. The time line would provide for community input the end of November, draft development plan to the public by the end of January, presentation to the APRC on February 7th, Commission recommendation presented to Council on March 5th, Council approval to go out for bids on April 16th and awarding of construction contract on May 21, 1991. DEPARTMENT HAPPENINGS Jon Oyanagi provided a video tape showing active use of several of the parks throughout the system. The tape showed the construction to date of the Northview park buildings. Special attention was focused on the quality of construction of the EAA storage building which is being done by Scott Eppen and Gary Skogstad of the Parks Maintenance staff. Jon then focused the Commission's attention on the many after school activities that occur on park facilities. These included soccer games and practice at the Northview fields with both soccer fields being used along with the outfield areas of softball fields. Ken Vraa noted that the fields at Northview are used approximately 12 hours a day. Jon continued that staff is hopeful that the Northview soccer fields will be given a rest next year in anticipation of the opening of Ohmann Park. The video continued showing football practice occurring on other softball fields and all but one tennis court in use. EAA youth football and the adult football program is conducted at Goat Hill Park. George Kubik thanked Jon for preparing the video for the Commission's review and commented that one of the things that gets overlooked are the people behind the scenes that get so much done so that these facilities can withstand the use that they receive. Other Happenings highlighted included the Senior Citizens trip to the new Target Center to see the Moscow Circus on October 25th, the Sub Region tennis tournament that was held at Northview tennis courts, the beginning of adult volleyball and registration of adult basketball. Dorothy Peterson stated that she has reached all of the school district advisors as a follow up to the student representation to the Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission Recreation Sub-Committee. At this point the advisors are very supportive and preliminary contact will be made with the various student councils so that the appropriate representatives can be identified. George Kubik commented on the good turn-out for the Wolf Talk, the exercise station adjacent to Rahn Elementary School, the completion of the bituminous maintenance for this year and the continued reserved use for both Trapp Farm and Thomas Lake pavilions. John VonDeLinde also explained the 'This Old Park Day" event that was conducted at the Rahn shelter building recently. This was a program through MRPA where approximately 65 participants attended a meeting to enhance the awareness of maintenance staff. The object of the exercise was to have the maintenance staff members who were present identify hazards throughout Rahn Park and it's facilities. Items such as hockey boards being loose, rocks and/or logs over trail sections, tools being left out, etc. were some of the hazards that were identified and commented on. ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF OCTOBER 4, 1990 MEETING PAGE 7 WATER RESOURCES UPDATE John VonDeLinde explained that Rich Brash who is presently a Bureau Chief with the Montana Department of Natural Resources has accepted the position as Water Resources Coordinator for the City of Eagan. Mr. Brash is scheduled to begin his employment with the City in December and staff is extremely pleased that he has accepted the position. He brings with him a very extensive background and references in the water quality field and will be a valuable asset to the city. John also stated that there will be a water quality management kick-off event on Saturday, October 13 from 1-4 P.M. at Trapp Farm Park. The event will be an open house type of event with many different organizations present to share information with the public. CARLSON LAKE PARK UPDATE Ken Vraa stated that the City Council had adopted the Commission's recommendations regarding the improvements to Carlson Lake Park. He noted that the work will progress quickly once a change order is submitted and approved by the City Council. George Kubik commented that he was hopeful that the compromise at Carlson Lake Park will help bring that neighborhood together. RECREATION FACILITIES TASK FORCE UPDATE Ken Vraa stated that this group has been meeting twice a month to develop a model (idea/concept) for the proposed facility. It is anticipated that the model will be finalized at the next meeting after which the focus will be on the site selection. The funding package will be reviewed in November and the management strategy review will begin. It is anticipated that this item may come back to the Commission for further review once the Task Force has completed their review. Ken commented that the group is making good progress and and some of those results should be seen by the end of November. Jack Johnson commented that the citizens have worked very hard on this model and wanted to commend everyone who has worked on this project. Director Vraa noted that the Council is reviewing the 1991 budget and they would like to do an in depth session with the Commission prior to the November 1st Commission meeting. It has been suggested that the joint Council/Commission meeting begin at approximately 6 P.M. so that the regular Commission meeting can be held at 7:30 P.M. Further information will be forthcoming when the schedule is finalized. With no further business to conduct, Jack Johnson moved, Shawn Hunter seconded with all members voting in favor to adjourn. Th m ting was adjourned at 9:50 P.M. S TARP DATE